


Polaris Rising

by guysinmyhead



Series: Porsche Hauptman [3]
Category: Alpha and Omega - Patricia Briggs, Mercy Thompson Series - Patricia Briggs
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-23
Updated: 2017-04-21
Packaged: 2018-10-09 17:47:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 28,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10417767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/guysinmyhead/pseuds/guysinmyhead
Summary: Possibly the final installment? Maybe?





	1. Chapter 1

I wasn't alone while I did my homework, it wasn't frequent that the house was empty.  When your dad was one of the most well-noted alphas in the US, it was a foreign concept to be lonely. A majority of the time, someone was there to keep me company. This time, it was Ben, a touchy individual since I had gone off to college and returned. 

 

In the past year, we had gotten into several disagreements. It had stemmed from a liking his wolf had taken to me when I was younger and grown into a circumstance where his wolf had decided I was it. I was the one he wanted and I was his. Thankfully, he wasn't high up enough in pack rank for it to cause too much of an upset at the time.  It had caused problems when I had moved back to the Tri-Cities after living in Aspen Creek for a few years.

 

It caused a problem again when I went off to college.

 

That said, I was back for good now. 

 

Ben and several others had opted to come get me when the pack I had joined while studying at Columbia caused me some problems.  I had been allowed to carry out my semester while Ben temporarily transferred to New York to stay with me, but had been all but forced to come home. 

 

Which included living here. 

 

Ben snorted at something he was doing on the computer. 

 

"Hey, can you help me?"  While things were tense, he was still one of my closest pack mates (especially after last semester). Not to mention, I also had a little bit of a thing for him and had since I was younger. Maybe that's why his wolf had noticed mine, I wouldn't know. But his boyishly platinum hair and smirk were enough to tug at the heartstrings of any girl in her "bad boy" phase and maybe I had never quite grown out of mine. 

 

He grunted and looked up. "What's wrong?"

 

"It's discrete math." He made a face and approached me. I was a math and science double major now, I had taken the elective since it was the only thing left open. I had registered late since I had transferred. 

 

"The--" He stared at the page for a minute or two. "What the fuck class are you taking?" I laughed at his confused expression. "I thought you were trying to be a fucking doctor?"

 

"I am.  I’m biology,” I agreed, "And mathematics, double major."

 

"Talk to me when you can help me with my work."  He rolled his eyes and walked back to where he was working at the table. I frowned and followed him into the kitchen. Leaning over his shoulder, I looked at his work. "I said 'when you can help' not now.  You're a first year."  I laughed. 

 

"A Freshman."

 

"What?" He ignored me. It always made me laugh when he said things wrong. He had crossed the pond maybe three decades ago, but still hadn't gotten the knack of certain things. 

 

What was going to frustrate me most was that I was practically begging him to pay attention to me. I know his wolf still noticed me, but he had gained much better control of himself since I'd first returned from Aspen Creek last year.  Not to say I was used to men throwing themselves at me, but even just one semester of college had spoiled me with attention—not always the good kind, as I had proven.

 

I looked more European than my mother, but the skin tone threw people for a loop. I think that often had a bit to do with it, over-sexualization and all that.  I had gotten into some pretty poor situations back east, but I was coming back from it.

 

"What if you try--"

 

"Don't touch my keyboard, I swear to Christ." He cut me off, moving the keys out of my reach. I frowned. 

 

The seduction plan was evidently failing.  Maybe I was wearing too much makeup?  

 

My father was out of town until tomorrow and my mother had stayed behind. That said, she had work to do and wasn't home. Ben had essentially been thrust into watching me--a legal adult at nineteen--and was apparently working from home. 

 

"Oh so it _was_ for me?"  He didn't even glance up, but I had walked away touching at my eye gently wondering if it had smudged. 

 

"No." I shouldn't have bothered lying, but maybe I had to be painstakingly obvious with him. 

 

He smirked, but frustration rolled off of him and not the sexual kind. I threw in the proverbial towel. 

 

"Didn't your mother of all people teach you not to play with fire?"  He questioned suddenly. 

 

I smiled to myself.  "Maybe I didn't listen."  I shrugged, glancing back at him. 

 

“Evidently not.”  He snorted.  ”Maybe you should."  

 

It was only four and I was done with classes for the day.  It was way too cold out to do anything in the outdoors other than run. I didn't have too many friends, though I had made a few in my senior year. 

 

"That's the 'I'm going to stir up trouble' face and I'm not into it."  Ben cast me a sideways glance.  I frowned at him, he had no idea what was running through my head in the slightest. 

 

"I'm bored. I need something to do." I complained, aware that I sounded like a six year old. He looked pointedly at my math homework and I whined. 

 

"Well you aren't doing me either, so I don't know what you're looking for."  He turned back to his own screen. I flopped backwards over the arm of the couch to peer at the older man upside down. Age was a peculiar things amongst werewolves. I couldn't imagine Ben being much older than my mother, which should have creeped me out but didn't. "I'm sorry, are you five again?" 

 

"There's a party tonight," I explained to him, "Do you think you could take me?"

 

"I think I'd be labeled a pervert, no, I'm positive." He didn't even look at me. "Is that what the makeup is for, then? So you can bat your eyes and I'll drive you wherever you ask?” 

 

"You don't look much older than me." I pointed out, "You could be a frat boy."  He shook his head, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. 

 

“Is that so?”  I crept back over to him.  “Do you really want to go?”  

 

I weighed my options.  I could stay here and do nothing, or I could go out.  I wasn’t twenty-one, but it’s not like the Tri-Cities was known for its nightlife.  One of the few friends I made my senior year had stayed local as well, but had made friends in the semester I had spent across the country.   Her name was Marissa and she was quick to invite me out anytime something was happening.

 

The problem living with my father was, I was never allowed to go.

 

“Fine.”  I didn’t even have to say “yes” to Ben before he agreed.  “Just let me do my work and then I’ll take you to wherever it is you want to be.”  I gave him a quick hug and bounded up the stairs to my room to start getting ready.  I would have to convince Ben to take me to his house so that my parents didn’t suspect anything—especially since mom would be home.  

 

I couldn’t lie to them, but I wouldn’t be lying if I told the truth.  The party was at Marissa’s house because both of her parents were away for work.  I just couldn’t face my mom beforehand because I’d break. I would change now, as fast as I could, and convince Ben to keep me safe until late tonight when I’d have him drive me to Marissa’s.

 

“You can drive yourself, can’t you?”  He called upstairs.

 

“What if I drink?”  I called back.  I could hear him come running and I giggled.  He panted at my door, I knew he was faking.  He wasn’t in that poor of shape.  “I’m being serious.”

 

“Porsche, if you drink and you get caught, your father will have my head if your mother doesn’t shoot me first.”  He growled.  “I agreed to take you to this shit, don’t make me go back on it.”

 

I just laughed and continued picking out my clothes.  I knew he was sitting outside of my door now, but he was typing on his phone.  I could hear the haptic pulses through the door.

 

I wasn’t great at picking out clothes for myself.  I could do the whole oversized-sweater and jeans thing in the winter (and it was winter) but that was because I lived in Montana and I wasn’t going to freeze to death.  I had gone to parties first semester, but my roommate had helped me pick out clothes.

 

Today I was on my own.

 

“Porsche, you’re aware that it’s just barely above freezing today, right?”  Ben raised an eyebrow when I stepped out of the room.  I had worn boots at least, with a short and thick enough heel that I could run if I needed to.

 

I was used to having to run.  A lot of things go bump in the night, including drunk frat boys.  

 

I’d just gone for black jeans and a black cardigan, but in his defense it was only draped over my shoulders because I was wearing a crop top.

 

“You think Mercy is going to let you out of the house in that?”  He used my mom’s name, another reason I shouldn’t have a crush on him.  I don’t understand my hormones sometimes, but what girl really does?  

 

I blushed.  “I was hoping that maybe you’d drive me to your place first, before mom comes home?”  It was now five and I’d be lucky if I could convince him by six to take me.

 

He frowned.

 

“What am I supposed to say when they ask where I took you?”  He raised an eyebrow.  “And do you seriously plan on coming home like that and them not batting an eye?” 

 

“I’m bringing a t-shirt.” I rolled my eyes.  “And you can tell them the truth, you took me to Marissa’s.”  

 

“You have a car, Porsche.”  He was right.  I had a Porsche matter-o-fact, gifted to me by Bran, my grandfather for all intents and purposes.  He said it was a namesake, if nothing else, and was excited to give it to me.  Money often wasn’t an object with old wolves.  My father was my father, it was his job to not spoil me.  That said, my  grandfather had absolutely no limits unless set by my mother—of all people.

 

A lot of limits were set by her.

 

The year before, I had decided I didn’t want to go to prom.  It wasn’t my scene, it was loud, too many people, I’m not a fan.  Also, I didn’t want to get all dolled up, I feel silly a lot of the time.  

 

Of course, it didn’t help that no one asked me.

 

Bran didn’t let me say no.  He bought me a dress that I still haven’t been shown the price tag of.  The Marrok, lord and overlord of the werewolves, he who hails from Montana, bought a prom dress because he wanted to be the dorky grandfather who could take pictures of me.  His excuse was that my mother hadn’t gone to hers.

 

She wasn’t even in Aspen Creek for hers.

 

Begrudgingly, I’d let him and my dad talk me into it and Marissa and I had gotten all done up together.  

 

That was all besides the point.  

 

“I know I have a car.” I agreed.  “I’m not bringing it to Marissa’s, I don’t like being flashy.”  I wasn’t lying.

 

“Fine.”  He gave up, he didn’t even try to argue.  That wasn’t like him, I frowned.  “Let’s go.  Get your t-shirt and get in the car.  I swear to Jesus-fucking-Christ, if you get drunk and I have to deal with your sorry ass in the morning, I’ll make breakfast out of you.”

 

“Is that a promise?”

 


	2. Chapter 2

I texted my mom on our way to let her know that Ben was taking me to Marissa’s, where I’d be spending the night. I had grabbed my phone charger and an extra shirt before I had left. 

“Does your dad know?” Ben was looking at the road when he asked, I assumed he had been referring to the matter of where I was going. 

“I mean, I told my mom—“

“About the tattoos?” He cut me off unceremoniously, still focused on the drive. My eyebrows knitted together and I cocked my head to the side. “They are plural? I’m not mistaken?”

“No…you’re not.” I wasn’t sure when he had noticed them. 

“You’re not doing a very good job of rebelling, your mother’s has a tattoo.” His statement was flat, emotionless. He still didn’t look at me.

“Where did you see them?” I crossed my arms. Having also managed to put on a coat before leaving, nothing on me was exposed, but I was wearing a black cardigan underneath. It wasn’t thick, but it wasn’t sheer.

“It opened when you were fussing with the jacket. I saw the tips peaking up from the edges of your jeans. If you want to hide them, try high-waisted pants.” I stared out the window, flushed with embarrassment. He just chuckled to himself.

I opened my mouth to reply, but decided against digging myself into a hole. I had gotten the tattoo the moment I'd returned to the Tri-Cities. I'm impulsive, Bran says, and it's not untrue. I get an idea in my head and I roll with it. I needed to keep my freedom somehow, moving back home. We pulled up to his home and I waited to get out. 

It was simple, small, and obviously decorated by Kyle—Warren's aging mate. I tried to hide laughter and failed miserably when I imagined Ben actually picking this furniture out for himself. 

"Are you laughing at the decor?" Ben asked incredulously and I couldn't pretend to hold it in any longer. My eyes were watering and I was sure that I'd ruin my makeup shortly. "If you're anything like your mother, I'd love to see you decorate your own house." 

I stopped immediately. "Aren't you a little old for 'your mama' jokes?" 

He shook his head with a small smile. "There's food you can make in the fridge. You wanted to head out around eight? We can do that. You're welcome to the tv, just use your hearing to your advantage and keep it down. I need to honestly finish this work."

I think part of why I swooned like a pre-teen around him was how gentle he was. I knew it was really often reserved for me, that side. He got impolite and had some interesting choice words sometimes, but it was less evident. Maybe it was because he knew me growing up, I couldn't tell you. 

I hoped most of the time that I sat on the couch that he'd come down and relax. It was hard to hide my disappointment when he finally came downstairs to leave and I know he knew it. Nonetheless, I let him take me to Marissa's without a complaint. I would listen to her boy gossip until people arrived as the night got later. 

It was a lot of gossip. 

Marissa was always dating someone. In high school, she had been with a guy named Vincent since freshman year. They broke up a little bit before he left for college and now she was seeing someone new, Brady, who was twenty-six. I couldn't justly make a comment about the age gap, so I let it be. 

“What about you?” She questioned suddenly. “Who was that guy who drove you here?” 

I nodded, not really listening to her words before I realized she was asking me something. She repeated the question and I blushed.

“Oh, that’s Ben.” I shrugged, trying to hide my face. 

“How old is he? Where did you find him?” We had known each other for long enough that I would imagine she had met him at least once. Maybe she was just that clueless. Sudden realization dawned on her face though and she frowned. “Oh, he’s a werewolf isn’t he? Like part of your dad’s pack? He was at prom.” I had forgotten that dad had set a tail on me when I was getting ready. I just nodded.

“He’s nothing important.” I lied, she was only human. She wouldn’t know the difference.

She rolled her eyes. “Except that you’ve had wet dreams about him for probably as long as I’ve known you. Don’t bother lying, I can see right through it.” Maybe I misjudged. “If he’s not interested, it’s fine. Brady’s friend Nate, you met him remember? He’s mentioned you a few times, thinks you’re hot. He’s coming tonight, you should talk to him.” 

Truth be told, I didn’t remember Nate. I tended to ignore most of Brady’s friends. They were loud and obnoxious. One would think that men their age would try and find jobs, clearly not. 

“If he comes by, maybe I will.” I shrugged. She seemed content with that answer and continued the process of getting ready to the music in the background. 

Once she was satisfied with her appearance, we cleaned up the house. It should have been my first clue that the night was going downhill when the cars started arriving, there were too many people. I knew she had a reputation, but I’d never imagined so many people could fit into one house. 

I opted out of drinking. I knew I had to come back mostly in one piece, and I didn’t want Ben to throw a fit. My metabolism was fast, but I wasn’t about to test myself now. Also, Marissa was already gone about five minutes in. I think, for her, drinking becomes very mind-over-matter.

“Hey,” I glanced over into perfectly, icy-blue eyes. Dark brown hair brushed in front of them, and a smirk played across the lips of the man who had approached me, “You’re Porsche right?”

“That’s the name on my birth certificate. I guess we could take a stamp of my foot and find out, though?” I mentally slapped myself, I was useless. He chuckled. Despite knowing my surroundings, I couldn’t place the smell on his breath. Alcohol has a distinct scent in a cup, and an entirely different one when you’re talking to someone who’s been drinking. 

“I’m Nate.”

“I think we’ve met.” I stepped backwards, leaving one foot forward and creating some personal space. “You’re Brady’s friend?”

“Yup.” He agreed. He definitely wasn’t drunk, although I knew the guys with Brady had been pre-gaming. He was swaying slightly enough to be concerned, but sober enough not to slur. We were only just hitting midnight, I don’t know why people were already so wasted. “You’re hot.”

“Thanks for being straightforward.” What’s the harm in being playful, so long as nothing happens? I made an excuse to go find Marissa, but he grabbed my wrist. 

“Stay?” Puppy dog eyes work on me every time. I awkwardly agreed and followed him and sat down on the couch where people were playing an interesting game of Cards Against Humanity. 

My phone buzzed, Ben checking up on me. He usually wasn’t the overprotective type, but I guess lying to my parents was stressing him out. I reassured him I was ok and tucked my phone away again.  
 “I know you from someplace else.” Nate said over the noise. “You’re famous for something.”

I laughed.

“Hardly famous, my dad is Adam Hauptman, you probably just recognize the name.” I didn’t care if people knew, it wasn’t as bad as saying I was Fae even decades after the big reveal. He smiled.

“I knew I recognized you.” I gave a small smile back, shifting uncomfortably when he put his arm around me. I knew I could move it, but the last person to touch me like that without permission healed a lot faster and his wounds were comparatively superficial. If I did that to a human, I’d be in jail if Charles didn’t get me first.

I answered his questions politely, engaged in topical conversation while remaining entirely invested in the game unfolding in front of me. I had hoped he would notice my lack of interest, but apparently he was blind as well as stupid. 

I quickly texted Ben to come get me sometime before Nate knocked my phone to the floor. I groaned and got down on all fours to try and find it, he had succeeded in kicking it under the couch. I was too focused on the phone to realize my position when he slapped my ass—and I won’t flatter myself, it’s not that great. I banged my head on the table trying to get up, phone in hand. 

“Don’t.” I growled. I was beginning to grow anxious now, even knowing that I was the sober one in the situation.

He held up both hands with a smirk.

“Sorry.”

He wasn’t, I ignored it. Twenty-six, you’d think he could learn manners.

“Hey!” I shouted over the music when he followed me and tugged me back by the belt loops on my jeans. “I just told you to—“ I had to shove him off of me when he leaned in. “Stop, ok? You’re the one who’s drunk. Seriously.” Where was Marissa? I glanced upstairs at the sound of the bed squeaking, of course she was. “Do not follow me.” I warned before heading outside. I had thankfully felt my phone buzz.

I knew he was still behind me and prayed to God that it was in fact Ben who had pulled up and that the text wasn’t him saying he was running late or held up. I could barely hear without straining my ears, music was too loud. 

Thankfully, it was, and he was standing right on the doorstep. 

“You need to relax, you’re too overanxious and anyone paying attention to the pack—“ Ben stopped and gave an incredibly fake, very scary smile to the boy behind me. “Who’s your friend?”

“Not my friend, he’s a friend of Marissa’s boyfriend. His name is Nate.” I introduced quickly. “It’s cold, can we go?”

“Is this why you won’t fuck with me? You’ve got some boyfriend?” Nate called after me. I continued my stalk towards the car.

“Or because she’s not down to fuck some pony-shagging, dingleberry-eating, ass-dandruff.” 

“I mean I was just going to say ‘I hope you go flaccid and don’t get any tonight,’ but that works, too.” I said as Ben entered the car in a huff. He glared at me and I realized how little control he was fighting with. “I can drive.” I offered empathetically. He nodded stiffly and we awkwardly traded places. 

I drove home in almost complete silence, save for Ben’s laboured breathing. 

 

“I’m sorry.” I offered about halfway home.

“Don’t apologize.” He snapped. He had told me on more than one occasion that I apologized too much. “Not you’re fault. He’s just an irritating piece of scum.”

“It is my fault,” I disagreed and he turned to me with an eyebrow raised. “I forgot to wear my scum-repellent.”

His lips pressed into a hard line, but they quirked up at the sides. He was trying to keep a straight face and keep from laughing, but I’d won this battle.   
 “I hate you.”

“I know.” I grinned.

When we got into his parking spot, I got out and waited for him. He was in a much better mood than when he had first met me at Marissa’s house, but he was still obviously frustrated. 

“I’ll take the couch, you shouldn’t have had to put me up tonight.” I looked down at the ground. His fingers gently tilted my chin back up and his lips pressed firmly against mine. We had kissed since I had come home from Montana over a year ago, twice in total. 

Those kisses had nothing on this one.

His eyes shut tight, his forehead against mine, he whispered to himself “I shouldn’t have done that.” I kissed his lips again, more gently this time.

“It’s fine.” I promised. “I’m fine.” 

“I—He needs you to stay with us tonight. Just tonight, I promise.” I had heard Ben plead with me before, when he didn’t know how to handle the situation he’d found himself in. Now, in the dark, in his entry way with only the half moon and the street lamps shining any light in, the situation had a different appeal. 

I should have said a million different things. I should have reminded him that I liked him and that “just tonight” to him meant something entirely different to me, that being so close to him was just going to hurt me more in the morning when his grumpy ass kicked me out and drove me back home.

I couldn’t find it in me, I just squeezed his hand with mine and led him upstairs. 

It doesn’t take a werewolf’s nose to find the bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Deb Y - Thank you! 


	3. Chapter 3

“Ben, are you ok?” I whispered, he was gripping me too closely for it to be entirely him. I didn’t mind, I was far from breakable, but I was concerned.

“Please, don’t talk.” That was Ben alright. I wasn’t normally one to listen to directions, but I fell silent anyways. Instead, I shifted where I was, my head resting on his chest, so I could look into his eyes. “Hello.”

I offered the best smile I could manage, I was suddenly growing tired.

“You’re doing that.”

“I don’t think I can, I’ve never tried.” Ben admitted, “Even if I did, I couldn’t make you do anything. You’re too stubborn.”  
 “Mmm,” I agreed and let silence fall over us again. “I’d do a lot.” He tensed underneath me. “For you, I mean.”

“I don’t want to talk about this.” He closed his eyes. I could feel and hear his breathing slow, but it didn’t change much.

“Don’t talk.”   
“This sounds like the beginning of an excruciatingly bad porn.” He made the joke, but his heart wasn’t behind it.

“That was sad, even for you.” I smiled, angling my face to kiss his jaw. He sighed. “Thank you again, for everything.”

“I’d say anytime, but please don’t make this a constant thing.” He glanced down at me, then quickly back up to the ceiling. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“I was worried today.” He changed the subject, “You’re lucky it was me and not your father. He would have ripped that kid’s throat out just for speaking to you the way he did.”

“You almost did that, too.” I reminded.

“You were uncomfortable.”

I laughed and he frowned, glancing at me again. “That doesn’t make it ok, Ben.” I laughed harder. He grinned.

“I think it makes it pretty ok, especcially—” He paused again. “If your mom wasn’t what she is, you could have easily been more dominant than I am just straight off the bat.”

“I mean, I think I am.” I defended myself, “But you would disagree because I don’t have a dick between my legs.”

“Thank God you don’t,” He rolled his eyes, “I don’t do—“ He stopped himself and I smiled. “Don’t give me that look, Porsche, I was going to make a joke but it was crude.”

“That’s never stopped you before.” I reminded, sitting up. “Why would it stop you now?”

“I’m trying to stop that.” He stated simply. “Since about five minutes ago, I have made the life-changing decision to stop being the Ben I was five minutes ago. I’m a changed wolf-man.”

“I’m sure you are.” I tickled his side and he shouted. “Oh, so you are ticklish?”

“Fuck you!” He gasped between laughs, trying to get me back. I rolled backwards laughing at his advance before I got really brave and locked my arms around his neck. His eyes shifted in colour ever so slightly. His heart rate picked up. “Be careful, Porsche.” He warned me, “Don’t step across boundaries that shouldn’t be crossed.”

I wanted to cross them.

I woke up to bright light coming in through the window, someone didn’t have curtains dark enough to keep it out. Ben wasn’t beside me, though, and my stomach knotted.

I had probably upset him.

He had placed my phone on the charger after removing his, presumably when he had woken up. I lifted it up to see seven missed calls and two voicemails.

All of them were from my dad.  
 I shot out of bed and grabbed the nearest article of clothing I could find—unintentionally Ben’s t-shirt—and ran downstairs. I should have been more aware when I had woken up, but now I was in the kitchen I could hear the arguing.

“Ben, you’re nothing like him.” I whispered, hurrying to him and kneeling on the floor. I slid a little and scuffed my knees up, but grabbed the phone out of his hand and pressed his head against my chest.

He was shaking and he was crying.

“Mom?” I quickly realized it wasn’t her on the phone, “Daddy?”

“Porsche—“ He snapped, even through the phone I faltered for a minute. The power in his voice hurt, he didn’t even have to yell. I was glad I wasn’t there to actually feel it.

“I know you’re angry,” I pleaded, “This one is on me.”

“Don’t defend him, Porsche, he knows where lines are drawn. He’s an adult and he shouldn’t have kept you at his home overnight. He should have taken you straight here.”

“I’m not defending him, daddy. It was me. He tried to leave and make me listen. I promise you, we can talk about this when I get home.” I hoped to calm him down enough that there was a home to go to.  
 “Porsche Hauptman—“

“I don’t want to leave him right now,” I said, honestly. “He needs me more than you do.”

Scared of the argument I was inviting at that, I hung up and put the phone on “do not disturb” before sliding it across the floor.

“You all act as if I’ve never made a choice on my own before.” I leaned my head against his and smiled a little to myself at the thought of what we looked like. Ben towered over me when we stood up, I was only five-five/five-six. He was easily taller than my father.

He mumbled something broken into my neck and I sighed.

“I don’t want your wolf, Ben. Don’t let him play.” I held him out, slightly closer than arms length and frowned. “Ben…”  He closed his eyes and drew another shaky breath for me. “What?” His voice was scratchy.

“You didn’t make any decisions for me. I think I made that obvious when I made the first move.” I kissed his cheek. “I wanted to have sex with you. I chose that.”  
 “You—“

“If you say I chose for the wrong reasons I will prove to you that I am fully capable of watching out for myself.” I warned sternly. He opened one eye to peek at me and cracked a small smile. “I would have fucked you this morning if I didn’t wake up to this bullshit.”

“Porsche,” He pulled back entirely for himself and rested against the wall behind him “You—“

“You’re going to say I deserve better, because you still think after all this time that you can’t handle this.” I stopped him again. Maybe my father and Bran had both instilled in me an irrational confidence that people can be fixed, but I didn’t mind it. “You talked to my dad when I was still underage. He knew how you felt about me. I don’t know why none of you expected that one day, maybe I’d like you too. Not all feelings are unrequited.”

I paused.

“I know you don’t believe me. I know you’ve seen me make dumb decisions and I know you’ve seen me struggle to come back from them. I’m sorry that you’ve had to be there this whole time, that you had to transfer for two months to New York City so that I could have someone stay with me. I’m sorry if I’ve never expressed how much I want you, but I think I’ve made that clear. I’m sorry that I am absolutely a cliché and I’m saying this now, but I really fucking like you.”

I had climbed over to him and hadn’t realized, but now found myself situated and straddling him.

“In fact, I’m not moving until you kiss me.” I crowd my arms.

He raised an eyebrow and I mimicked him.

“Let’s go, nerd king, too much of a pussy to kiss a pretty girl?” I taunted.

“I’m already in trouble, don’t let your father catch you saying that.” He actually smiled this time.

“Listen, all my friends went off to college and I had to come back here to stay with the pack.” I poked him in the chest. “Do you know what they’re all doing in those dorms? Fucking. They are partaking in all sorts of gang bangs and orgies and other satanic nude rituals. The least you could do is show me is a good time.”

He kissed my forehead.

“Shower, I need to take you home.”

I kissed him.

“You’ve already taken me home.”

“You know what I mean.” He stopped my hand traveling down his chest.

“Fine.” I shrugged and leaned forward to get up. “Mine.”

He grinned, but didn’t move as I walked up the stairs I had run down.

 


	4. Chapter 4

If you thought parents in general were overprotective and controlling, you have never met my father.  By the time I’d been dropped off at home, he was fuming.  Ben opted to brave the storm and come inside with me, which I had reassured him he didn’t need to do.  

 

“Mom?”  I called softly through the doorway.  She was already there waiting, a tired look in her eyes.

 

“You’ve done a number on him.”  She sounded disappointed and my heart sank.  I didn’t mean to push buttons this time.  “Living room.”

 

I nodded and made my way into the living room to see my father cross-legged on the floor.  It would have been somewhat amusing if there wasn’t severely damaged furniture surrounding him.

 

“Dad…” I trailed off.  He had certainly calmed down enough, he looked up and raised an eyebrow at me.  “I’m sorry.  I didn’t want to upset you.”

 

“What did you think was going to happen?”  His voice still had a bit of a guttural noise to it, I chose to ignore that.

 

“I’m sorry.  I didn’t think that me making a decision for myself was going to have any effect on you.”  I answered truthfully, “I’m nineteen, and I know that’s still young by standards, but I am an adult.  Most kids my age are away at college, they do stuff like this all the time.”

 

“Most kids aren’t my daughter.”  My father reminded, “And most kids don’t sleep with someone almost three times their age.”

 

By werewolf standards, Ben was very, very young.  

 

“Mom and Sam had a thing going on when she was younger than me.”  I pointed out.

 

My mother made a startled noise.  “Don’t bring me into this battle, Porsche, I have nothing to do with this.”

 

“I’ve slept with someone older than both of you—“

 

“I’m disappointed.”  My dad brought my focus back to him.  “In both of you.”

 

“You knew this was going to happen, you can’t say you didn’t.”  I was exasperated.  “I’ve had a crush on him since I was sixteen, I didn’t even live here then.  You let him stay with me in New York, are you not surprised it didn’t happen sooner?”

 

“I trusted you with my daughter.”  

 

“Daddy, stop!”  I know I was whining like a six year old again and I really didn’t care.  “You’ve trusted him on several occasions because you knew how he felt.  He told you, I’m not stupid, I have ears.  You put him in charge of me in very dangerous circumstances because you knew the only person who could possibly keep me safer than you could would be him.”

 

“That doesn’t change the severity of the situation.”  

 

“It should!”  I snapped.  “It should change every bit of the situation because you saw this coming.”

 

“She’s mine.”  That was an absolute challenge if I’d ever heard one and I stepped backwards, eyes flying to Ben as the words left my dad’s mouth.

 

My mother stepped in.  “Adam, she’s ours.  She’s our daughter, and I don’t like this more than you do, but she’s a human being.  She can make her own decisions, you can’t plan her life out for her.”

 

I knew what was coming before it did, I felt it in my stomach.  My legs collapsed underneath me, I was falling and I couldn’t breath.

 

He wanted me to go back to Aspen Creek.

 

He wanted me to leave so that he didn’t have to face this.

 

When I finally recognized the cool tile beneath me, I glanced up.  Tears were blurring my vision, I couldn’t recognize anyone in the room.  I did the only thing that came naturally there, in that moment.  I changed in the middle of the kitchen and, paws clicking confusedly on tile, streaked out the door.

 

I didn’t catch who had been entering and kind enough to unintentionally open it.

 

I was just glad to leave.

 

I had no idea where to go, though.  Montana was the only other home I had.  I didn’t have my phone on me now, I couldn’t call anyone to get me.  I didn’t want to face Marissa, I had received several complaining text messages that I hadn’t treated Nate well enough for her liking.  

 

I just kept running.  

 

I wound up surrounded by dirt and dust, not really sure where I was, when I finally stopped. The sun was already low in the sky, it had to be around three in the afternoon, I’d been running for two hours maybe more. There were shops nearby, I knew phone numbers I needed, I could call someone if I could convince someone to let me use theirs.

 

Using all of my concentration, I was wearing pants and a t-shirt with sandals when I unfolded.  I didn’t get the bra this time, I think that was what was messing me up with the pants.  It didn’t really matter though, I looked decent enough in the window.  

 

I crossed the street and pushed open the door.

 

“What can I get for you, sweetheart?”  A cheery voice asked me.  She was short and blonde, probably my mother’s age.  I gave her a nervous smile.

 

“Nothing, I don’t have my wallet on me.”  I apologized, “I don’t have my phone either, is there any way I can borrow one?”  

 

Her eyes filled with sympathy and she nodded.  “Of course, hun, let me go get mine.  And I’ll get you a cup of water, that is always free to everyone.”  I took the liberty of noticing that I’d walked straight into a coffee shop, but thankfully it was empty.  She returned, phone in hand, and began getting a cup of water.  “What brings you here?”

 

“I just got a little lost.”  I sighed, dialing the too-familiar number.  

  
“Your father is worried about you.”  Bran’s voice was smooth, eerily calm, “What did you do now?”  

 

I looked up at the woman as she brought me a water and tried to bite back the tears, but I couldn’t.

 

“Oh,”  His voice was surprised.  “Porsche, who’s phone do you have?”  

 

“I borrowed the phone, I have to give it back soon.”  I whimpered.  “I don’t know where I am.”

 

“It’s ok, can you stay with that person?”  He softened his tone even more now.  He was trying to find me, I knew that.  He had the number and someone would be coming to find me the fastest they could.  I don’t know if I wanted them to.

 

“They want me to go back.”  I tried to explain,  “Bran, I didn’t do anything wrong.”

 

He took a pause of silence.

 

“Porsche, your father has led me to believe that some things were…said.”  He chose his words carefully, “And I suspect a lot of them shouldn’t have been, but raising a child is difficult, especially someone so stubborn.”

  
“It’s not like I’m doing drugs, ta’!”  I had picked up the nickname from Charles who naturally called his father ‘da’, Welsh.  I had learned taid, tad-cu, and bampi were all lovely modern tongues for grandfather and since I didn’t know what part of Wales he would have been from, I adapted it for myself.

 

“You have to understand some things that your father and mother haven’t explained to you in detail.”  Bran sighed.  “Ben has a history, true or not, and that isn’t theirs to tell.  But, they also never told you how that relates to their fears here, or even his.  He’s wanted after you, from what I have been told and personally observed, since you were fifteen, maybe younger.”  

 

“That shouldn’t matter.”  I defended.

  
“It does, Porsche, things like that matter.”  

 

“When you were younger—“  He cut me off.

 

“When I was younger it was a very different time and there were very different situations.  Certain things were more socially acceptable, and maybe some of them are good and certainly some of them were bad.”  Bran, if anything was important to note, didn’t argue.  He didn’t have to.  “You need to understand your parents’ worry here, and I agree that you need to know the story to understand that.  I can’t tell you that tale, my days of being a bard are over.

  
“I can’t wholeheartedly agree with your father’s initial reaction or decision, but I can’t say I haven’t done it myself.”

 

Realization dawned on me.  “You were the one who sent mom away from Aspen Creek.”  I whispered.  “She didn’t leave on her own.”

 

“I’m not ashamed of it, I did what I knew I had to.  I had a responsibility to protect and raise her.  If something similar had happened to you, I would have handled it differently, but only because I had practiced doing it wrong.”  He let it sink in.  “I meddled, but now we have you.”

 

I don’t know why that was such a great thing given the circumstance. 

 

“I’m going to give the phone back now,” I sniffled. 

 

“I’m here.  I love you.”  I had never heard Bran say that before, I wasn’t sure how to take it.  It startled me, definitely, and he was trying to comfort me.

 

It made me feel a little better, all the same.

 

“I love you, too.”  I wiped off the phone with the bottom of my shirt before returning it.  There was going to be salt residue all over.  “I’m sorry.”  I moved to wipe under my eyes.  “I’m not usually like this.”

 

The woman rested a hand on my shoulder.

 

“It’s ok.”  She reassured me.  “Whoever was on that line really cared about you.”

 

I gave her a small smile.  “I know.  That was my grandfather.”

 

She walked to my side of the barista bar and pulled up a seat.

 

“When I was about your age, I was pretty close to my grandfather.”  She set down a plate of cookies I had been oblivious to.  “He helped raise me, my mother was his daughter and she had drug problems.  When my father tried to get her help, he couldn’t balance both of us.”  I welcomed the distraction.  Listening to her talk wasn’t enlightening, but I needed something else to focus on.  

 

“Is he coming to get you?”  She asked suddenly and I jumped a little before nodding.

 

“Or he’s telling my dad where to find me.”  I stared at my cup, suddenly more interesting than explaining my life to a stranger.  

 

“Every dad and daughter fight,”  Her smiles could honestly make a day worthwhile, she was too honest with them.  “It’s just part of growing up.”

 

I heard his car outside and my whole body tensed.  I didn’t want to face him, I wasn’t ready.  I shouldn’t have stopped, I should have kept running.

 

The door creaked open and the power drowned me out.  I couldn’t breathe for sake of it, even though it only washed over me.  The woman beside me felt it, too, but I don’t think she knew how to respond.

 

My father’s eyes were covered with sunglasses, strange for the chilly air.  Even still, I could see his raised eyebrow.

 

“Thank you,”  He addressed the kind, mother barista.

 

“Stephanie.”  She offered her name and a hand.  “She wasn’t a problem.  She even helped me clean up a little, and I was grateful for the company.”

 

I cleaned when I was stressed, I hope she hadn’t thought I decided her establishment uncleanly.  

 

“You have a very beautiful and very sweet daughter.”  She began to make her way back behind the counter, but it wasn’t because she was scared of him.  She wanted me to step forward and handle this myself.  

 

“Thank you, Stephanie.”  I waved nervously before obediently following my father out the door like a lost puppy.  I found it was best not to make him angrier.

 

We made it all the way to the car before he slammed a fist down on the hood—sure, give mom something to fix, she loves dents—and spun around to look at me.

 

“You could have been hurt.”  His voice cracked and it was in that instant that I realized he was angrier that I had run off than with what I had done last night.  

 

If there was one thing I loved about my father, it was his inexplicable ability to blame himself for everything.  Any time I left the house, he was scared I was going to suffer the same problems Jesse had faced just for being related to him. Every second that I was out of his sight, because I was related to my mother, was another second I could get myself killed.

  
In his defense, I proved myself capable of being killed the previous year after being shot somewhere that I wasn’t supposed to even be.

 

“I’m not.”  I reassured.  “I was upset, I just did what came naturally.  I needed to get out of the house, I’m sorry.”  I gestured with my chin to the dent in the car.  “I take after you.”

 

He snorted, but he wasn’t amused.  I hadn’t won this fight yet.

 

“I don’t want to go back, dad.”  I pleaded.  “I want to stay here.”

 

He didn’t relax, but I tried my luck at taking another step towards the car.  

 

“Dad?”  I asked again, “Bran told me I needed to ask you what happened.  He said I needed to understand why you were all so upset.”  I paused, “I know about the rapes,”  He sucked in a breath, “But I also know it wasn’t him.  Please, tell me what happened.”

 

“Get in the car.”  Was all he said.  I bristled, but listened like a good daughter.  I was upset that he wouldn’t just stop trying to protect me from everything and let me live.

 

We drove in silence for fifteen minutes.  Anger radiated off of him, but also fear.  I wasn’t sure if I misunderstood the second one, maybe it was something else.

 

“I am your father.”  He broke the silence and his voice was rough.  “I don’t have to be ok with you having sex with _anyone_.  I’m not ok with it.  I can’t stop it.  But Ben is someone I am not ok with you seeing.”  I opened my mouth and he held up his hand without taking his eyes off the road.  “I drove far above the speed limit to pick you up, let me speak.”  That was a serious offense to him, everyone knew it.

 

“Ben is someone I would trust with my life, but I don’t trust him with my daughter and I don’t think he can ever prove to me anything that will change my mind.  I’m sorry.”

 

“But why?”  I wanted to pull my hair out.  “You trusted him with me enough when I was younger.”

 

“And it was obviously a mistake.”  My father was more aggressive than Bran, though neither were cruel.  Bran was relaxed, a human could mistake him for someone lesser than he was.  They had done it before, but he knew how to do his job.  “Your mother trusts him.  She wanted him to be able to prove to himself that he wasn’t who he thought he was.”

 

He was growling again.

 

“Dad, tell me.”  I whispered.  “Please, I want to know.”

 

If Bran didn’t feel it was his story to tell, I should have resigned myself to the idea that my father would never share someone else’s secrets either.  I pressed on.

 

“I’ll ask him.”  I decided.  “If you and Bran are so dead set against me hearing it from you, I’ll hear it from him.”  Something inside me sank, and I wasn’t entirely sure it was my own feeling either.  My father stiffened and the car sped up.

 

“Dad, you’re speeding again.”  Trying to make light didn’t seem to work, but I figured I could make an effort.  He flexed his hand.

 

I didn’t realize we had pulled onto our street until he abruptly slammed the car in park.

 

If my father was angry, I worried my mother would be furious.  She had this way of toning herself down, being too reasonable.  My mother was scarier than any werewolf when she was angry and its difficult to explain why.  Maybe it’s just because she was one of those “disappointed” ones so you just feel like crap.

 

The first sound to reach my ears when I entered wasn’t my own mother’s sigh of relief, instead it was Ben’s.  He had the be in the kitchen, the way it travelled.  He was anxious.  

 

He didn’t think I’d be brought home.

 


	5. Chapter 5

“That isn’t permission.”  Adam snarled across the room.  His previous statement, had anyone other than the four bodies in the room heard, suggested that whoever someday swept his youngest off her feet would have their work cut out for them.  Ben’s shoulders had relaxed too soon.

 

“I think we need to factor her choices into this.”  Mercy had chosen to sit in a chair, Adam was still pacing the wall behind her.  Ben, in all efforts to avoid an ending that resulted in bloodshed or his own death, had seated himself on the floor.  Warren stood behind him.  “I don’t disagree with you, Adam, there’s a lot that needs to be addressed.  That doesn’t mean that her own opinion doesn’t matter.  She clearly wanted this—“

 

“How?”  Ben winced at the inflection in his alpha’s voice, as if he didn’t already doubt enough about himself behind the cold exterior.

 

“You and Sam,”  Warren’s voice filled the sudden silence that fell, “Mercy, how did that work?  After Bran did what he did?”

 

“It’s a different scenario,” She shook her head, “But it was difficult.  There are some things in life that need to be learned through personal error, that was not one of them. It felt like I needed to do it at the time, but afterwards I realized why I listened.”

 

“It’s a different scenario.”  Warren probed.  “How?”

 

“I can’t imagine Ben ever wanting kids.”  She cracked a grin, same old Mercy.  

 

Ben snickered, but immediately fell silent and dropped his eyes with one golden gaze from Adam.

 

“Really, what changes this problem?”  Warren asked again, he was smiling now too, though. “Why is Ben any better or any worse than Sam?”

 

“She’s nineteen, she can make decisions for herself legally.”  Mercy sighed, time flew.  “She could attempt the Change if she wanted to, but there’s no need for that obviously.  The dangers are her not knowing what situation she’s entering into.”  She looked at Ben and he glanced upwards at her.  “This is not a game to play with wolves.”

 

“What if she takes after her mother?”  Ben gave her an attempt at a smile.

 

“Then we’re all in for a boat load of trouble.”  Warren was very obviously trying not to laugh at the idea.  “She’s certainly apt to sticking her nose into trouble, why not the rest of her?”

 

“The biggest concern I have,”  Adam’s voice stopped all of them.  “Is the period of time you’ve had your eye on her.”

 

It was true, and the room grew still again, cold.  Ben knew not even Warren could defend him for that.  He had started tailing her when she had come home from Aspen Creek for a holiday.  She was maybe fifteen, sixteen if he was lucky.  

 

He wanted to act like a child and blame someone else, anything else.  He had required control of himself before, but never like that.  He didn’t know how to handle it, it happened.  He wanted her, and maybe it wasn’t Ben at first, but it grew to that.  

 

“She had gotten into a fight and she was crying.”  Ben murmured, eyes pinned to the ground in front of him at Mercy’s feet.  “She says the way the pack sometimes treats her doesn’t bother her, but it does.  They can’t help it, alpha’s daughter isn’t a rank.  She’s mixed.  Wolves don’t like her much more than her mother though she runs closer to us than to Mercy.”

 

The room waited for him to speak more and he knew they were waiting, he didn’t have words yet to say.

 

“I went to keep her company, it was a game night and she shouldn’t be left alone.  I was already out, it was fine.”  He snorted.  “It was in the midst of all of those changes.  It was when I’d risen to fourth, when Warren and Daryl had problems again.  I didn’t expect it, I didn’t know how to stop it.  I thought if I just let it be for a while it would go away.  She’d go back to the Marrok and I’d stay here, it’d stop.  I think he just wanted to keep her safe, maybe that’s me projecting my own emotions onto it.

 

“Because I do, I want her safe.”  He couldn’t control the uncomfortable shiver from having to spill his guts in a kind, respectable, and not-sarcastic way.  “I tried everything I could think of.  You tried too, when she came back last year.  I can’t anymore, not when she’s so close.  Not after what happened.”  

 

“She was fifteen.”  Warren’s voice was gentle.  

 

“I know.”  Because he agreed, because it made him sick, because he was comparing himself to the people who had hurt him in the past and the people who had hurt her last year.

 

“Adam, you let him stay with her to finish her semester.”  Mercy reminded, hands on hips.  “You trusted him with that, after everything she had been through.  You trusted him not to make it worse.  Ben, you’re nothing like them.”  She shifted her attention.

 

The younger wolf shook his head.  He was in the wrong this time, severely so.  That was his issue all along and he didn’t know what to do about it without hurting Porsche more.

 

****

_Porsche_

 

 

I was sent to my room while the grown ups talked in the basement.  I hadn’t been able to get a word in edgewise because I was continuously cut off, and it got to a point where I couldn’t be bothered to try.  I considered texting Bran, but he hated texting and I didn’t have it in me to call again if I would just receive cryptic replies.

 

I couldn’t hear them from my room. 

 

I pulled out my laptop and did some research.  If everyone was so dead against me finding out what was wrong, I was absolutely going to figure it out.  If they thought I didn’t know how to use Google, they were also sorely mistaken.  I was more than literally studying to be a doctor, I knew what research was.

 

I did have to call in a favour, though.  There are only so many records you can get online and in the USA.

 

“Charles, please?”  I begged.  “For me?  If you aren’t going to tell me, you could at least send me the means to get it.”

 

“Ask him,”  Charles suggested, “Like a human being does.”

 

“You think he’s going to magically open up and tell me why he is suspected of a total of fifteen rapes?”  I rolled my eyes.  “Did _you_ know it was fifteen?  I knew barebones I guess.  I knew about the accusation.”

 

“Porsche, I don’t even think my da knows if he did it.”  Charles admitted.  “He basically passed him straight off, figured if anyone could genuinely straighten him out it was Adam.  He’s a good father-figure.”

 

“I mean, sure, we can say that.”  I agreed.  “I just want access to the records.  I was to know why he was suspected.”

 

“I can get you information on his former pack.”  I could make do with that.  “It is like our New York, though.  It’s a little unstable likely for the problems that come with urban living.”  

  
“Thank you, Charles.”  I smiled to myself and decided to await his email before hearing the basement door open.  

 

They were done.

I all but bolted out of the room and definitely missed a few (all) of the steps on my way down.  Ben was the only one who had come up, probably because the decision was going to be made between my mother, father, and Warren.  

 

“Don’t.”  He didn’t look at me from where he’d laid back on the couch.  I could see the remnants of tears from here, though.  

 

“You’re—“

 

“ _Don’t_.” He emphasized, rubbing his face.  I heard a sniffle and my heart broke into a million tiny shards.  

 

I was going to use those little heart-shards to slice my father up if he didn’t fix this fast.

 

“Do you want tea?”  I offered,  “Or water?”

 

“I’m just waiting for your dad and then I’m going for a run.”  He shot me down.  I nodded and hurried into the kitchen.  “Porsche, stop.”  He called after me.  I could hear the frustration in his voice.  “Don’t get upset.”

 

I slowly re-entered the living room.

 

“Don’t be upset right now.”  He sat up.  “I don’t need you upset on top of it all.”  I nodded.  

 

We both startled, Ben to his feet, when the front door slammed open.  The smell of blood hit my nose before I could process anything else.

  
“Honey?”  Ben jumped to the woman’s aid and I realized she wasn’t covered in her own blood.  

 

“We’re going to need some help.”  She gasped out, I don’t know how long she’d been running for but I hadn’t heard her car park anywhere near the house.

 

“I can see that, what happened?” I shouldn’t have been jealous in such a dire situation, but I didn’t like the way he touched her.  

 

“What’s wrong?”  My father had just made it into the room, much too slowly.  He took in the scene.  “Honey, whose blood is that.”

 

“There are witches.”  She growled, not quite answering the question but no one was going to complain.  “A coven.  They mean business.”

 


	6. Chapter 6

Covens didn’t still exist, not in the traditional sense.  Most of the witch families had long died out from warring amongst themselves.  I think out-breeding had also weakened witch blood, but I wasn’t sure of exact details in how these things worked.

 

My father’s pack had once employed a woman named Elizaveta, but she passed when I was much younger.  Most of her grandchildren were also dead at this point, for one reason or another.  Finding someone to help us would inevitably be a challenge.

 

“I don’t like the sound of witches out to kidnap wolves.”  Warren sighed.  Truth be told, none of us did.  Witches were the last thing that needed to be on our radar and they were more than a little tricky to deal with.

 

“We’ll need to be on our highest alert.”  My father said finally.  “Any member who wants to stay in the house can set up a cot in the basement.  Ben, send out an email.  Porsche—“

 

“I can’t leave the house alone.”  I internally groaned, but tried to keep a smile plastered to my face and gave him a thumbs-up.  “Got it, papa.”

 

“What do you think they want?”  Mom asked out loud, but I don’t think she was really looking for an answer from any of us specifically.

 

“They’ll gain their power from torture, I would imagine.”  I frowned.  “Maybe they’re just experimenting.  Maybe they’re going to try and make a pack—did I say something?”  Everyone’s heads had snapped towards me.  

 

“Call the Marrok.”  Dad growled to no one in particular.  “Now.”

 

I jumped and fumbled with getting my phone out of my pocket.

 

“Fuck.” I banged my head on the table as I went to pick it up.  I was a living shit show, honest and true.  It must have taken me five minutes to dial a number I had called already that day. 

 

“What did you do now?”  Bran asked casually and I rolled my eyes. 

 

“Everyone is here.”  I let him know.  “And—I’m not really sure why we needed to call you.  There are witches here.  One tried to kidnap Honey—“

 

No one was going to let me actually finish a full sentence obviously because Bran cut me off.  I inwardly groaned, another thing no one was going to do was tell me what was happening.

 

“Adam, we will send some backup your way.”

 

Backup?  Backup for _what_?

 

“I’ll let Emerald City know.”  Dad was already dialing someone, presumably Angus.  

 

“You do that.”

 

The line went dead.

 

Ben and Honey seemed to share a collective thought and decided to call out from work.  Honestly, if you asked me I would say none of the pack members actually have jobs.  People call out so frequently.  I wonder if HR takes care of that?

 

“Are you ok?”  My dad asked Honey after hanging up his own call.  She nodded, not visibly shaken from her encounter either.  “Are they close by.”

  
“I was only a few blocks away.”

 

She was actually about to cause a pack lock-down and I really hope she realized it. 

 

“Yes.”  Ben answered me.  I spun around.  All other four sets of eyes turned to him as well.  “Er—“

 

“I’ll email them now.”  I blinked, confused.  I had to call out of class, had I asked that out loud?  

 

Warren was the first to break the awkward silence with a chuckle.  My mother shot him a worried glance and realization dawned on Honey’s face.  I only wish I knew _what_ she was realizing.

 

“Ben…” She looked from him to me and back.  “Oh you didn’t… _Ben_.”  

 

“Let’s focus on you, you’re the one covered in blood.”  He grimaced.  Honey looked at my father and then back at him.  “Yes, Honey, I know.  You’re covered in blood and it’s not yours.  Let’s focus on that part first.  Is there a body we have to put somewhere?”

 

“I can’t believe it.”

 

What can’t she believe?  That is all I wanted to know.

 

“You…”

 

“ _Honey_.”  Ben pleaded.  “Not _now._ ”

 

“I’ll catch you up in a little bit.”  Warren promised her.  “First we really do need to know what’s happened.”

 

I looked desperately at mom and she shook her head in the way that said she’d explain what just happened later.  I would have felt comforted by that at least, except that my dad was looking at Ben like he was going to be dinner.  It was like one of those “we’ll tell you when you’re older” moments except I needed to know now.

 

“Not my blood.”  Honey said simply.  “I don’t think they expected the fight I put up.  The one I got to bled out before I could get any information.  The rest scattered.”

 

“I think they’ll have cleaned up their own mess.”  Warren said thoughtfully.  “Unless they want to pin this on the wolves, then we’ll have a problem.”

 

“Take Ben, go and check.”  My father told him stiffly. 

 

“I should go, I know where it is.”  Honey offered.  I nearly jumped out of my skin when his fist made contact with something.  My mother grumbled something, evidently irritated.

 

“Fine.  All of you.  Go.”

 

I’ve never seen any of them move faster that I did in that moment.

 

“I’ll send out the email.”  I said in the smallest voice possible.  I slowly made my way to the stairs and then ran up them.  I jumped onto my bed for my laptop and opened it up.  

 

Ben usually used a separate email for his pack email list.  It wasn’t his work account.  He had logged into it on my computer before, but likely hadn’t used the keychain.  If I could just remember the account…

 

By some miracle, I found it.

 

It was like typing in my own password, it was just muscle memory.  Except, it wasn’t my password.  I didn’t actually know what it was.  I didn’t know how I got into his actual account, I had expected I would need to give up and find an old email and reply all to it.

 

I pounded out a quick email, just relaying the basics of what had happened, and hit send.  Give it twenty minutes max and people would be at the house.  I could hear hushed voices downstairs, my mom was angry.  My dad was probably trying to defend himself for the broken wall.  

 

“Where is she?”  

 

“Upstairs.”  My mother told him.  I heard the sudden confusion in her voice.  They hadn’t been talking about me at all, then.

 

“How did she send this?’

 

“With the internet?”  Mom’s confusion was now possibly on-par with mine.  “I think that’s how email works, unless we’re talking about the cloud.  That still confuses me.”

 

“From his email address?”  I think my mom stopped breathing.  “Mercy, what are the odds that Porsche has _Ben’s_ email account information?  This is _Ben_ we are talking about.”

 

There were a few moments of silence.

 

“It works differently for everyone.”  My mother finally said.  “Maybe that’s just how they are?”

 

“You think they’re already mates?”  

 

"I think that this werewolf stuff doesn't always make sense."  My mother corrected slowly. "And we can't make any judgements on this until we know."

 

"If they are and he doesn't know what he's doing, he can overshare. We don't know what that entails."  

 

Because no one wants to tell me, otherwise I'd already be prepared for that. 

 

"I don't want her involved in any of that."  He finished.  "We should have been more careful from the start."

 

"Since when did you have a problem with Ben?" My mom all but shouted. I hated when they got loud, it meant someone was staying on the couch and it wasn't going to be my mom. My dad would be begging for forgiveness in a few hours. 

 

"Since we know nothing about what he did and he--"

 

"You think he's going to hurt her?"

 

"You think abuse doesn't happen? Look at the Marrok. You can hate his mate all you want, but you can't tell me that what she's sitting through isn't abuse."  It was a little judgmental of him. The situation there was complicated, mostly because I think Leah was mostly ok with it.  I didn't know her well enough, she kept herself pretty successfully shut in. 

 

"I think people would look at us right now and wonder who is abusing who."  I could imagine her crossing her arms. "Or why we're crazy." 

 

"I don't want her involved with him." 

 

"You tried your hardest.  She's stubborn. She takes after you."  Mom teased. "Don't look at me like that. I don't like the situation either. I have my reservations. You can't keep her locked down forever."

 

Her support meant a lot, even if she didn't agree with the situation. Knowing I had someone on my side in this argument was inspiring. The problem now was trying to understand exactly what was happening.  I could ask Ben, but likely he wouldn’t talk to me.  I could call Anna, but then my parents would hear.

 

I would text her, but she’d be far less likely to answer.

 

Hopefully, my parents worrying about me and witches downstairs would be enough to keep them from actually hearing me.  I dialed quickly and prayed she would pick up.

 

“Hey,”  Anna’s voice was music to my ears.  “Is something wrong?  Bran is absolutely the angriest I’ve ever seen him.”  

 

“Yes, that’s not my issue right now but that is absolutely because of something out our way.”  I let her know quickly.  “I need some help.”

 

“Shoot.”

 

“Great.  How do mates work?”

 

The other side went dead for a little while.  

 

“Ok, this isn’t helping, Anna.”  I groaned.  “It’s a real question.”

 

“That’s why I’m worried.  Did something happen?”  She finally said.  “Was it with Ben?  I heard you ran off earlier today.”

 

“I did run off, unrelated to the witches—“

 

“WITCHES—“

 

“Anna, lesser issue in my mind right now.”  It really shouldn’t be, I recognized that rationally, but I was a little stressed.  “I ran off because I got really upset when my dad got angry about Ben sleeping with me—“

 

“You slept together the whole time you were in New York?”   There was a pause.  “Porsche…”

 

“Yeah, that.  I did the thing that I wasn’t supposed to do, I did it and now I don’t know what I should do.”  

 

“I’m not the person to be asking, likely.”  She admitted slowly.  “Charles and I struggled with it a little.  There were some problems.”

 

“Ok, but is anything supposed to happen right away?”  I pressed.

 

“No…I mean yes?  Ours didn’t work right for a long time, I think it was on my end but honestly I don’t know.  It works differently for everyone.  What happened?”  She definitely did not want the long version of the story.

 

“Sex?”  I didn’t mean for it to be a question, I don’t know why I said it.  “I don’t know.  I honestly don’t.  I don’t feel anything different, Anna.  I am positive I didn't say something out loud, but he responded to it—that I have more than one witness to.  And then…”. I didn’t know how to explain it.  “I mean I feel a little different.  I had to do some searching to send out an email since he’s on investigative duty.  I figured I’d try and get the list from his email instead of just going into mine and hitting ‘reply all’ like an idiot.  I just…muscle memory?”

 

“Do you want to talk to Charles?”  She asked, if she was questioning it then he wasn’t there with her.  He was probably doing something important relating to the witch hunt.  “He might be better with this.”

 

“You’re his mate, I feel like this has been a mutual experience.  Please, Anna.”

 

“Porsche, I don’t know what that means.  You said you don’t feel any different?  There’s nothing there?  It kind of feels like the pack, but closer usually.  It’s kind of one of those things you get used to being there.”  She was trying to work it through, but was obviously having a hard time.  “I would try figuring it out on your end.  If you can find it, it’s there.  I don’t know how immediately it’s supposed to work, I know Charles was a little stressed he couldn’t figure ours out for a long while relatively.”

 

“Yours is empathy-based, right?  That’s not common?”  I asked.

 

“I mean, you’re going to feel them anyways, you’ll know if they’re hurt.”  She explained quickly.  “Maybe you need an extreme to figure it out, like a life-or-death thing?”

 

“You’re recapping your scenario.  I’ve already had two inexplicable moments and nothing to show for it.”  I groaned, running my hand through my hair.  “I could jump off the roof and see if he comes running, that’ll do it likely.”

 

“I’m not there to know if that’s sarcasm or if you’re serious right now.”  She laughed a little.  “But, yes. That would give you a more definitive answer. I've never heard of what you're experiencing, though. I don't know any mates here that have the other's...spatial awareness." 

 

"Jump off the roof, got it." I nodded. "I'll roll it off."  I heard someone come to the door and hurriedly thanked the Omega on the other end before getting myself downstairs again. Warren, Honey, and Ben were back sooner than I'd thought. 

 

"No evidence of anything having happened."  Warren told my father. "Whoever Honey got is long gone and theoretically long dead." 

 

“Porsche sent out an email to the pack.  People should start arriving soon.”  Mom caught them up to speed.  Warren raised an eyebrow at me, he presumably had seen the message then.  “I think the goal is easy enough.  We find them, before they take one of us.”


	7. Chapter 7

“What happened?”  Honey hissed as soon as she, Warren, and Ben were out of range for any listeners-in.  “What did you do, Ben?”

 

“Porsche decided to get a little adventurous last night.”  Warren explained simply.  He was still being careful to take in their surroundings, for fear the other two weren’t.  “She’s seduced Ben.”

 

Honey’s expression went blank.  She was almost entirely unreadable.

 

“You seriously took your alpha’s daughter as your mate?  I knew you were stupid, but that’s a death wish.”  Honey looked the young wolf over. “ _Especially_ with Adam.”

 

“She’s not my mate.”  Ben muttered.  Honey’s eyebrows knitted together and she looked at Warren.  The former cowboy only shook his head and shrugged.  None of them could really confirm more than the fact they had sex.  If she hadn’t been so focused on the issue at hand with the witches, Honey could have told right away that they’d had sex even just the night before.

 

“You used protection right?”  

 

“Jesus fucking Christ, why do you care?”  Ben remembered back to something Samuel Cornick had said last year, though.  He wasn’t sure if Porsche had taken the doctor’s advice to heart.  

 

He felt more than a little sick.  

 

“You’re possibly the—“

 

“Let’s focus.”  Warren growled finally, tired of the bickering.  Honey was in the right on this one, in his opinion.  “Honey, we’re here.  Where did they come from?”  They had reached the stretch of road she had abandoned her car on.  Thankfully, no police seemed to have patrolled the area yet and her car was still there.

 

“They were waiting.”  She admitted.  “I only noticed after they showed.  I didn’t have my AC on or anything.”

 

That would make sense, given the weather, but no one commented.  

 

“So one of those ‘don’t see me’ things,”  Ben grumbled, motioning to the area that was easily the most tainted.  “They lay and wait.  This is one of the only remotely ‘main’ roads leading to Adam’s.”  
  
“You think they’d just jump on the first werewolf they see?”  Warren turned to him, thoughtful.  “Honey is relatively recognizable by now, in both forms.  They see her, jump the car, and try to take off with her?”

 

“They had something with them, I think, to try and subdue someone.”  Honey was almost retracing her steps now.  “I got the one that grabbed me and ran as fast as I could back.”

 

Pack mentality somehow never said “take them away from home.”  For some reason, without fail, everyone tried to lead danger back with them.  

 

“So they panicked, left to rethink their plan.”  Warren nodded.  “They’ve already cleaned up, we’ll take the car back so it’s not stranded here.  We should tell folks to be on the lookout their whole way here, but I don’t think they’ll come back tonight.”

 

The three seemed to agree.  A plan like that, when failed so badly, meant you needed to rethink your strategy.  The witches wouldn't come back tonight, likely they’d stay low for a few days at the least.  They’d try and use surprise to their advantage again, but they had already made their target aware.

  
They’d try to be more stealthy next time.

 

“Ben, you’re going to be in trouble.”  Honey glanced at her phone briefly while driving.  It had been on silent so she hadn’t noticed the notification until she actually took the time to look.  Ben looked up from the backseat.

 

He may be third, and Warren may be second, but neither were going to challenge Honey for the wheel of her car.

 

“I swear, I don’t know how she did that.”  

 

“Ben, calm down.”  Warren drawled lazily.  For someone so dominant, Warren was relaxing to be around sometimes.  He really didn’t want an argument to break out in the _maybe_ five minute car ride back.  “Maybe she logged in from one of your devices.”

 

Ben wanted to believe that, but knew his laptop was at home and his phone was on his person.  He had logged into his email on her computer once.  He would be surprised if he had opted to save the information to her laptop, though. He wasn’t usually the type to do something like that.

 

Instead he just nodded, white as a sheet, and said nothing.

 

“I mean, he would know.”  Honey reminded.  “If she’s his mate, they would both know.”

 

“We all know Ben’s wolf took a liking to hers a long time ago.”  Warren reminded softly, as if Ben wasn’t in the car with them.  “And we both know this isn’t always so straightforward.”

 

“She just emailed us as Ben Shaw.”  Honey pushed.  She threw a glance into the rearview mirror again.  “Ben, do you know how she did it?”

 

“I can’t find her, Honey, only just barely amongst the pack—same for anybody.  I would have felt something if she was opening my head up, wouldn’t I?”  He rubbed his face.  They were pulling onto the street and Honey opted to park at the end of it, to give others better spots.  “I don’t know how this works first hand, but she can’t just pull memories like that can she?”

 

Honey and Warren exchanged a short look.

  
“We don’t know.”  They said together, finally.  

 

“It’s a little more complex than that.”  Warren explained gently.  “Like your wolf taking a liking to her before you even noticed her like that.  It’s a different situation for everyone.  Some can have full conversations with each other, I think Adam and Mercy have something along that.  Some can physically feel what the other is feeling.  The only real guarantee is that you can feel that they’re there and you can control that part.”

 

“It’s not unheard of, sharing memories.”  Honey said after another split-second of silence.  “I remember in my old pack there was someone who her and her mate could sometimes, instead of speaking, basically form pictures.  It would be like how, when you read, you don’t read words you read images.  They didn’t so much speak as show each other things.  There was no voice.”

 

They were still sitting in the car.

 

“How was it when you understood the answer to something she hadn’t asked?”  She turned around now and cocked her head to the side.  “You would know better than us spit-balling.”

 

“I didn’t _hear_ her voice.”  Ben admitted. “I actually didn’t process that fast enough before I spoke.  It was one of those moments where ‘oh she is probably wondering about school because everyone else just called out of work’ made sense.  I just said she should.”

 

“Could you imagine actual telepathy?”  Honey looked at Warren.  “Between them of all people?  They’re both assholes out loud.  Imagine what they think.”

 

“I don’t want to imagine it.”  Ben snapped.  “And it’s not happening.  I can’t even find her there, anywhere.”

 

They took that as a place to end the discussion.  All three of them got out of the car and finished the walk to the house in silence until Ben’s phone buzzed.  He glanced down almost immediately.

 

Warren had asked if he was ok.  Ben didn’t need to ask him why it was a question.  Warren would know his concern was possibly accidentally sharing things with Porsche that he didn’t mean to.

 

He still had nightmares.

 

The follow-up message told him something that made him a little more anxious.

 

“You could be forcing it closed unintentionally.  Try and relax, see if you can find it.  It would answer your question sooner.”

 

Ben shot back a quick “no thank you.”  Warren read it a moment later and gave a soft smile, shaking his head.  Ben was stubborn and scary, but he wasn’t stupid.  He knew when he needed to lay low and right now he’d lay low with the witches.

  
Eventually, one of them would successfully take Adam’s attention away from the other.

  
Warren was rooting for the witches to take the attention so Ben could figure out what he needed.  

 

“No evidence of anything having happened.”  Warren told Adam as soon as they met back in the kitchen.  ”Whoever Honey got is long gone and theoretically long dead." 

 

“Porsche sent out an email to the pack.  People should start arriving soon.”  Mercy explained quickly.  Honey and Ben both nodded in recognition of the fact. “I think the goal is easy enough.  We find them, before they take one of us.”

 

“I saw Goody Cornick with the devil.”  Her daughter said off-handedly.  She pushed back her hair from her face and grinned when people had turned to look at her.  “Just if we need a starting point.”

 

“If you’re suggesting we hang Leah Cornick at the gallows, I really don’t think that’s a brilliant idea.”  Warren chuckled warmly.  Trust Mercy or her daughter to lighten the mood when it got tense.  Ben looked at him, confused, and he explained.  “ _The Crucible_.  It’s a play by Arthur Miller about the Red Scare.  I’ve seen it once or twice now, thanks to trips to New York with Kyle.  I recommend it, and that’s saying a bit.”

 

“They show American theatre in England.”  Honey laughed.

 

“I have a feeling Ben didn’t go out of his way to see it.”  Warren smiled.  “Though for someone who claims to be fairly well-read, I’m surprised he didn’t know about it.”

 

Ben shrugged.

 

“Real witches,”  Adam refocused everyone.  “We have a problem with real witches, not communists right now.”

 

“We know they’ll lay low for a little while at least.”  Mercy said.  “That gives us plenty of time to choose if we want to play the offensive or defensive.”  

 

“We have to play offensive, surprise them, otherwise we’re just sitting ducks.”  Honey shook her head.  “I think they got more than they bargained for this time, next time won’t be so lucky.”


	8. Chapter 8

“Adam,”  My mom said in a hushed voice.  They were outside my bedroom door and they had woken me up.  “She’s asleep.”  I glanced at the sleeping lump beside me.  The steady rise and fall of his chest meant he wasn’t disturbed by my parent’s noise as I had been.

 

We had several pack members in the house tonight.  Most of them had made use of the fairly expansive basement and taken to cots, sleeping bags, couches, our one air mattress, and whatever else they could find.  One or two were wolves for the night, in case anything happened.

 

“He has a guest room, him and Warren both.”  My dad had offered his second and third rooms in the upstairs, we only had two guest rooms total.  “He doesn’t need to be in there.”

 

He did, apparently.  I hadn’t expected it from Ben of all people, but he had come in around eleven, before I was asleep.  His expression had been similar to what I imagine mine was when I was younger and wandered into my parents’ bedroom after a bad nightmare.  

 

There hadn’t been any fear, though, not really.  I would have scented fear.  No, he was maybe a little jittery, but we were being hunted by witches.  Who in this house wasn’t jittery?  He just sat on my bed wordlessly and I had leaned into him, still working on some homework.  He played with my hair while I did it, whispering answers here and there or making noises when I made mistakes because he was somehow much better at discreet math than the math major was.

 

We had fallen asleep like that and I hadn’t ever shut off the light.  That was probably the real reason my parents’ voices woke me.  I’m usually a very deep sleeper.

 

“Well they aren't doing anything.”  Mom reminded.  “We would all hear it.  Porsche has dignity.”

 

And common sense, I wasn’t going to purposefully invoke the wrath of my father.

 

“How do you think they slept in New York?  Do you honestly believe they kept to separate beds the whole time?”  She was right.  It had become some sort of indulgent comfort to have Ben by my side when I slept.  "Adam, leave them be. You can talk to her in the morning."  I heard him huff, but I could hear their footsteps disappearing. 

 

I curled closer to the warm body beside me and closed my eyes again.  He had taken his shirt off at some point in the night and the skin-on-skin contact was comforting.  I could hear his heart beating, feel it under his chest.  

 

I must have dozed off.

 

“Porsche, please wake up.”  Ben’s voice startled me.  I don’t know how long I had been asleep for, but the sun still wasn’t up.  I didn’t like being woken up at any time, but my eyes flew open.

 

It was then that I registered my breathing was far too shaky, my heart was racing, and my face felt wet.  Had I been crying?

 

“Fuck, I’m so sorry.”  I also wasn’t laying down anymore, I was in Ben’s lap.  I must have had a nightmare, but it was one of those nightmares that you don’t remember when you wake up.  He was trembling, too, I realized, and unlike the moment he first entered my bedroom, fear was rolling off him in waves.  His lips were pressed against my forehead, but when he leaned down to kiss my cheek he was deliberately careful to not kiss the corner of my eye.  I had noticed that he was careful about it after I had talked to him a little about New York.

 

“You…”  I turned to look at him.  His eyes were focused on the bed and not on me at all.  “You had a nightmare.”  His grip on me tightened and it was the only confirmation I needed.  “Ben, _you_ —“

 

“I don’t want to talk about it.”  He stopped me.  He was already pale, but his face was sheet white.  “I’m sorry…for all of it.  I’m so sorry.  Fuck!”  The last word came out as a growl and I flinched.

 

“Ben…” I whispered.  “Ben, we have to talk about that.”

 

“No.”  He shook his head.  “What we have to talk about is how to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

 

“Who was that?”  

  
“Porsche, _no_.”  His fingers were close to bruising me, I knew.  I didn’t want to push, but I was hurt that he wouldn’t speak to me.  “Oh, you stupid mutt.” He let out a breath.  He was still shaking, but he was trying to brighten the mood not.  “I love you, stop doing that.  Don’t look at me like that.”  

 

He wasn’t even looking at me.  He’d given me a brief glance.

 

“Porsche, it’s fine.  I just didn’t want this to happen.  I didn’t need you there.”  I wondered idly if that had meant I had walked in his dream.  “You did.  This is exactly what I didn’t want.  Fuck, your dad—fuck.  Shit.  Dildo-gargling—“

 

“What?”  I snorted.  He finally looked at me.  He had looked sick when I woke up, but now he looked like he was going to absolutely throw up.  “Ben, what the actual fuck are you saying?”

 

“Adam is going to kill me.”  I maneuvered myself to better see his face, which led to me awkwardly half-straddling him.  I held his face in my hands and he moved his hands to my wrists.  He wouldn’t look at me.

 

“Ben,”  I had since calmed down.  I wanted him to calm down, too.  He seemed to be getting more worked up.  I kissed his forehead this time.  “Please, it’s ok.  I want to understand.”

 

“I didn’t know this was going to happen,”  He admitted quietly. “I didn’t think you’d be able to see things like that.”

 

“What does that mean?”  I pushed.  He tilted his head and I could smell his wolf when he looked at me.  Just to behave, I looked away.  I knew what he had meant, but now I was positive.  I had gotten a little more than I bargained for, but I had seen it coming.  

 

I should have protested the feeling of his lips on mine because I had just witnessed the most violent nightmare of my life and it was coming back to me.  I should have stopped him just because I needed to make sure he was ok.  Someone like Ben didn’t lose control easily, though he had teased that I made his life too difficult for him to focus on his own control.

 

I was wondering now if that was really him teasing.

 

Five minutes ago, he was panicking about what my father would say if he found out I had definitely taken a mate.  Now, we were about five seconds away from him taking me on my own bed with my parents down the hall and almost all the pack downstairs.

 

“Ben,”  I warned sharply, finally finding my breath when his lips left my neck to trail kissed to my chest.  “Ben. stop.  We aren’t going to fuck with my parents down the hall.”  His eyes when he peeked up at me made me falter.  

 

No, he would do nothing but wallow in self-pity come morning if I let him get away with this.  

 

“Stop thinking, please.”  He muttered.  Ben was coming back, but his wolf was very close and neither had been doused in enough cold water.  “You’re thinking about last night and it’s not helping me.”  

 

It wasn’t helping me either, and he had to have been aware of that.  The room was clouded with tension of the sexual variety and it was all I could do to not start awkwardly laughing.  

 

“Porsche, please, stop.”  His breath was so close to my skin and all I could imagine was the weak spots he’d come to find the night before.  I tried to think of literally anything else.  He moved the hand on my hip in order to collect my wrists and remove my hands from his hair.  

 

I was laying down, I hadn’t paid enough attention.

 

“You’re going to fucking kill me.”  He was all but panting.

 

“We were supposed to have a serious conversation!”  I whined and he nodded.

 

“We’ll have that conversation soon.”  He promised, and it would have to be good enough for me.  “I need to figure out how to talk about it.  You need to figure out how to keep your thoughts to yourself and not project.  If I keep seeing your sick little fantasies play out in your head, I’m going to wind up either with Charles at the door or your father ripping my head off.”

 

“I don’t know how.”  I admitted.

 

“Please get someone to help you figure it out and I’ll try to keep the dream thing from happening again.”

 

“I want to know if something is hurting you.”  

 

He regarded me for a moment.

 

“I’ll be fine.  Sometimes that happens.”  He moved me over and laid down, carefully wrapping an arm around me and pulling me close again.  “It doesn’t hurt me.”

 

It was a lie and he was aware I knew it, but he also knew I wouldn’t bring it up.  I would let him believe what he wanted, so long as he kept his promise to explain it to me later.

 

“Ok.”  I sighed, satisfied listening to his heart again.  Where he might genuinely feel like I bring out the worst in his wolf, I enjoyed the settled feeling inside of me when I was physically beside him.  

 

“You are such a girl.”  He chuckled, it rumbled through his chest.  I tilted my head to look at him, but his eyes were closed.  

 

“How come I can’t hear anything you’re thinking?”  I huffed.

 

“I don’t know.”  He admitted.  “I don’t know how this works.  This is the first time I’ve ever had to deal with it.  Maybe you’re just really loud.”

 

I groaned and he outright began laughing.

 

“I can’t sleep if you’re going to laugh at me for my feelings.”  I snuggled closer to him as he mimicked me in a fake, high-pitched voice.  My only response was to slap him lightly on the chest with a small smile.

 

When I woke up again, it was because someone (likely my mom) was baking and the smell of chocolate had wafted upstairs.  It took me a few moments to realize that Ben wasn’t in bed with me, but his shirt was still there.  I rolled my eyes and got up, deciding on wearing a sweater-dress and thigh high socks.  I was tempted to turn around and pull on Ben’s shirt instead, but I doubted it’d cover enough for my father not to tell me to change.

 

The fact that, though there was lively discussion downstairs, I didn’t hear shouting meant that my father had decided to let the night before slide.  I wouldn’t push him.

 

I pulled my hair into a ponytail and went to wash my face before going downstairs.  I had showered the night before, I would survive.

 

I also feared cold water because of the sheer amount of people we were housing.

  
“Are we—is that a ham?”  I looked at my mom in exasperation and she shrugged.  “We’re feeding people ham for breakfast?”

 

“Your father woke up early,” No surprise there.  “And got food.  We don’t have enough for these people.”

 

I wish we had made the agreement for keeping the home a safe house be that you had to bring food in order to stay here.  I guess the fact that the pack had money meant that we didn’t care.

 

She was the only one in the kitchen, so everyone would be spread out between the living and dining rooms.  I sat down on the counter to watch her move around.

 

“Are you going to ask?”  She usually wasn’t pushy, but she must know something was on my mind.  “You’ve asked everyone else.”

 

“Do you think he did it?”  I asked her quietly.  She spun around, surprised, dropping her mixing spoon in the batter.  She realized it almost immediately and groaned, turning back to fish it out.  

 

“I honestly don’t know.”  She said, picking around the batter carefully.  “He’s never told any of us to my knowledge.  Maybe Kyle, Warren thinks he knows, but Kyle wouldn’t tell you.”

 

I nodded, deep in thought.  I hissed and my hand flew to my head.  My mom glanced at me and looked back at her bowl.

 

“You ok?”  She didn’t seem too concerned.  “He told your father this morning.”  She waited a moment and I didn’t say anything.  “He’s not dead.”  That was fortunate, I supposed. Her eyes twinkled with amusement when she turned to me again, this time she kept the spoon in her hand.  “Having trouble with it?”

 

I nodded.

 

“I think this was the first time I felt him anywhere in my head.”  I muttered.  “I’ve been a wolf my whole life, but I can’t for the life of me figure out how to keep anything from him.”

 

“He mentioned something like that.”  She snorted.  “I think that’s why he’s downstairs talking to your dad.  Self-control is something Ben has learned, he’s dangerously in charge of his wolf.  You trained with Charles and you’re very good at a very different type of control.  Charles wouldn’t have taught you this.”

 

No, my dad was going to have to teach me.

 

“Bran called this morning, don’t curse when your father can hear you.” She reminded at my exclamation.  “He would love to hear from his ‘eldest granddaughter.’”  My cousin, not by blood, Fallon was a year or two younger than me even though I think our mother’s were pregnant around the same time.  Fae can be pregnant for a while, thankfully her gestation wasn’t several centuries for my cousin.

 

“He heard from me yesterday.”  I replied.  “And isn’t he on his way here?”

 

“I don’t know that he is coming, I know he’s sending at least someone.”  My mother shrugged.  “I think he’s sending Charles, but I would personally be concerned that Charles is a nicer target for witches.”  She was likely referring to his shamanistic magic, something that would probably only help strengthen a European witch.  “Bran shouldn’t come, he has a history.”

 

I did know Bran’s history with witches wasn’t great.

 

“His backup is due later today.  You’re picking them up.”  She took another pan out of the oven and placed the one she just filled into it.  “You can drive there. but remember than it will likely be whoever he sent driving back.”  It was a reminder not to argue.  I wasn’t exactly like her, but I wasn’t affected the same way by pack magic.  I didn’t feel an overwhelming need to submit to wolves I knew could shred me to pieces.  I wasn’t necessarily more dominant, I was just a jerk sometimes.

 

It had gotten me into problems with my own father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you Deb Y and Mon for your comments! I love knowing someone is reading and enjoying!


	9. Chapter 9

“My mom thought it’d be you.”  I sighed.  I had picked Charles and Anna out of the crowd at the airport in less than a minute.  Charles was easy to pick out, even without a sense of smell.  I was surprised it was them.  I knew Charles wasn’t a fan of flying and the trip from Aspen Creek was maybe ten hours by car.

 

It must have been more of an emergency than I thought if they’d rather fly out and save seven hours.

 

He only nodded, but Anna gave me a quick hug.

 

She was the one who drove home.  I was a little surprised by that, too, but I wasn’t going to bother him.  Charles was evidently stuck in a very particular state of mind.  I only ever saw my former mentor like this when he was focused on a job.

 

“Bran got you a really nice car.”  Anna commented as we drove.  I agreed, the only downside to this car was that I had often wound up in the all but nonexistent backseat.  “You don’t drive it much?”

 

“It’s a commuter car.”  I admitted.  “I just drive it to-and-from my classes.”

 

“How are those going?”  I hadn’t thought Charles would speak, so when he did I startled.  “Your classes?”

 

“Kind of boring.  It’s not like Columbia at all.”  I shrugged.  He nodded thoughtfully, but didn’t say anything more.

 

“You still want to be a doctor?”  Anna gave me a smile in the mirror.  I nodded and Charles snorted.  She shoved him playfully with one hand.  “Lighten up.”

 

“I don’t understand how anyone could want to be a doctor.”  

 

“It’s just interesting, I think.”  I explained.  “It’s a challenge and it’s busy.”

 

No one disagreed with me.  I knew Charles had reservations about my chosen field of study.  He had pushed for me to get into technology, something Bran had also encouraged financially by paying for extra classes in things like code and basic programing.  

 

I had wondered for the past few years if Bran ever actually encouraged something because I enjoyed it or because he wanted me to lose interest.  

 

“Is it right or left?”  Anna asked me.  “I haven’t been here in a while.”

 

“Right.”  I pointed out the direction.  We were close to the place Honey had been attacked and I made a point of telling them that.  Charles opted to come back to my home before surveying the area.  I didn’t argue, even though Anna seemed to think his response was unexpected.

 

We parked and walked to the house, the street had been littered with pack cars.  The only people, for the most part, that weren’t living in my home were the ones who had their own families to care for.  Warren was the only exception and he just dragged his fairly stubborn human mate to stay with us.  

 

“You’re closer with your wolf than you used to be.”  I watched Anna walk away, but she was still within earshot.  Charles had slowed down.  He was always too observant.  “And my da told me what happened the other day.  So did Anna.”

 

That Anna and Bran had announced my business to the world wasn’t too surprising to me.  It was very much something they’d both do.  Charles taking an interest in what had happened was confusing to me, but I supposed he had always been there when he had been teaching me.

 

“Did you come for the witches or for me?”

 

“Both.”  He wasn’t ashamed of it, either.  Charles didn’t have to apologize for anything, especially not for following orders.  “More for the witches than for you.”

 

“I’m ok.  There’s a lot for me to figure out.”  I shrugged.

 

“Don’t overthink it.”  He advised.  “You’re much more connected with her than you used to be, but you’re also much more in tune with her than Ben is with his wolf.”

 

Ben was very well controlled normally.  He kept his wolf perfectly balanced and in-check.  It was right there, right under his skin and it could be intimidating.  It was almost never over-powering, though.

 

“I’m not saying your mate has no control.”  Charles corrected.  My silence must have been his first clue.  “I’m saying you were born with your wolf.  You learned to communicate with her.  If you stop overthinking, you can use her to your advantage and you can better understand what’s happening.  Right now, you’re fighting her.  You’re allowed to ask her for help.”

 

I didn't like not being able to manage myself.  Not understanding how to stop from spilling every little thing that ran through my mind for the past few hours had caused a little bit of strife.

 

“I’ll try.”  I promised.  Charles patted my shoulder and past me to reach the door.  “It’s unlocked.”  I said, knowing he’d hear.

 

He still politely knocked. 

 

I was a little thankful that Charles had come partially for my sake.  It meant I didn’t have to also go to my father for help with how to manage a mate bond.  Charles would be preoccupied, likely, with the witch hunt, but I would still be able to ask for assistance when needed.

 

It also meant I’d likely have Anna at my disposal.

 

“Charles,”  I said quickly as I heard someone approach the door.  It was a second thought to take my key from Anna and hand it to him, but we’d already knocked.  “If you can, can you help me later?”

 

He nodded before my father answered the door.  

 

There was maybe a minute of general greeting before they relocated to the basement.  I knew Warren and Ben were both likely downstairs already.  Anna went with them, she could help keep clear heads while everyone else plotted.

 

Mom was down there, too, if she wasn’t stress-baking or cleaning something.  That made sense, she would never let herself be left out of something like this.

 

Kyle was in the kitchen, presumably waiting for me.  Few pack members liked him (though he had definitely been around since long before I was) and Honey, one of the ones who sometimes enjoyed his company, was a wolf right now.   
  
“They kick you out of the meeting?”  I asked, pulling a brownie from underneath the foil-covered plate in front of me.  Mom had already done the baking and I was not a neat person—something that left my father disgruntled—so I had nothing to kill nervous energy with.

 

“They want you down there.”  Kyle nodded to the basement.  That was a first and so I was hesitant to believe it.  Usually they would take Honey.  My mother and I agreed that Honey was likely more dominant than Ben, even though he had climbed ranks.  She seemed to be content a little lower, though.  I knew before I was born she had a mate and he was a submissive.  

 

I think she played to keep under the radar, but everyone in the pack had to know by now.

 

“Why?”  I asked him.  “They’ve never asked for my attendance before.  Have me change, they should take Honey.”  She was sitting next to him, only on the ground because the kitchen stools wouldn’t fit a wolf.  She shook herself off as if shaking her head.

 

“Recent events?”  He shrugged.  I shook my head.

 

“They never invited Aurielle down.”  I pointed out.  “She kept rank with Darryl.  Warren has you.”

 

“I don’t like to meddle with witches.”  Kyle did what I had and pulled a brownie from the plate.  “And thankfully, that’s not my job.  You’re more dominant than Aurielle from what I hear.”  He paused to take a bite.  When he had swallowed, he smiled.  “And I hear your grandfather called.”  
  
Bran had stuck his nose in and said I needed to be involved in something?  That was new.  Usually he said I needed to be kept _out_ of something.

 

I blinked at Kyle and he waved me towards the basement.  I continued my way down the hall and hesitated at the top of the stairs.  This was very unlike anyone, to expect me to talk logistics.  I was worried about what Bran thought he was doing.

 

"Nice of you to join us," Dad didn't miss a beat when I entered the room. All traces of nervousness now gone, I took the only seat open next to Ben. It was a little removed from the table we were around, though, and I turned back to my father. 

 

"Am I here for a reason or just to sit back and stroke everyone's ego?"  Ben snorted and shot me a glance, shifting to let me reach the table. 

 

Ben's mind was wandering and I recognized it the moment I realized I was somehow focused on looking at myself and listening to Charles' words at the same time. He hadn't seen me the whole day. I guess the sweater dress was a little too short for his liking. 

 

He refocused. 

 

This was hard. 

 

I couldn't quite figure out how to make it work well enough to explain that my head felt like I was switching between two channels on the TV and couldn't pick one. Focus was hard. 

 

"I know one of them."  I didn't mean to interrupt, but I'd already spoken. Ben stiffened under my dad's gaze, immediately dropping his own to the table. "Ben, it's the kid from that party a few days ago."

 

"Party?" My dad snapped at me and I looked to my mom for help. She only shrugged. 

 

"At Marissa's." Better to ask for forgiveness than permission, right?  "Two nights ago now?  He was bothering me but I left."

 

“You didn’t notice anything?”  Witch’s magic was typically weaker in males than in females.  That’s not to say you’d never see a male witch.  Seattle had a problem with some a decade before I was born maybe.  Bran didn’t talk about it, but he got something from his mother.  Charles didn’t let anything show on his face when he asked, but I felt like he was disappointed with me.  My heart sank a little.

 

“He didn’t smell like magic.  I didn’t feel anything different.  He was just drunk.”  I saw my dad’s eyes flash.  “He claimed he didn’t know who I was…”

 

“Was he lying?”

 

“You were _drinking_?”  Dad had to sort out his priorities, because Charles ignored him.  Anna could settle wolves, but apparently not over-protective fathers.

 

“Porsche, did he know who you were?”  Charles asked again.

 

“I don’t know.  He said he knew me from somewhere, but we had met before.  I mean he knows who I am now.”  I tried to think back to it, it was only a few days ago but nothing had seemed too important about it.  “You’re not confusing something?”  I looked at Ben.  He shook his head.  “But you all said there was nothing there?”

 

“Maybe he’s unrelated?”  Mom offered.  “Not everything at the scene is a clue.”

 

“Who walks that stretch of road?”  I asked her seriously.  “I certainly can’t imagine that asshole taking a casual stroll down a relatively quiet stretch of road.”

 

“It’s residential around here.”  Charles reminded.  

 

“But why _that_ one?”  I pushed.  “I don’t believe in coincidence.  Not on this one.”

 

He didn’t smile, Charles didn’t smile—it was scary and we probably made fun of him for it too much.  He was unnatural and blank almost all of the time, but now and then you could break him a little.  I knew it from a moment’s glance at his eyes that he would be smiling if Anna and I wouldn’t laugh at him.

 

It made me feel a little more confident, a little less upset with myself for my potentially dangerous mistake.

 

Ben squeezed my leg and I patted his hand in a polite reminder to not touch me anywhere near where my father might see and get angry.  He squeezed once more and removed his hand again.  

 

“I’ll try and see who I can get in touch with, find out who might be working in this area.”  The way Charles said it, I had a feeling he was already looking into it.  It made sense, he had a whole flight to try and figure it out.  

 

“There’s no way around waiting unless we find out who is involved." Warren sighed. 

 

"We can start with the person Porsche knows."  My dad inserted himself back into the conversation thoughtfully. I opened my mouth but he didn't let me speak. "She isn't going alone. Ben, go with her."  

 

"That's not the best idea, if neither of them have worked out their...issues."  Warren said delicately, motioning to me and Ben.

 

He obviously wasn’t wrong, but he wasn’t entirely right either.  If I was expected to be able to entirely focus on my own, maybe having both of us in the same place focusing on the same thing wasn’t such a bad idea.  Ben seemed to have a much better grasp on it than I did anyways.

 

“Send Porsche and Charles if you want someone dead.”  Mom’s sarcasm never seemed to fail.  Charles was a trained killer, between that any my quick changes she was right.  If something went wrong, someone _would_ be dead.

 

“Can’t send both born wolves,”  Ben followed up, “No matter how dangerous either of them are.  They’re too rare and given Porsche’s track record they’d be the ones to wind up dead.”

 

“I can go with Porsche.”  Anna offered.  “Let’s Charles do some work.  I can talk, she can be the intimidation.  She’s the one who knows him, we want her in there.”

 

“I don’t want her in there,”  Dad confirmed my suspicion that Bran was the only one who wanted me in on this. That said, he had been fine with the idea of Ben going with me. He had a double standard for his expectations of him, clearly.  

 

I wasn’t in the mood to hear my parents debate my authenticity as an adult.  Mom was right anyways, if I’m old enough to attempt the Change I am old enough to deal with something I may have unintentionally caused.  

 

“If she goes in there human, we risk a lot more than if she’s wolf.”  I didn’t want Ben arguing for me, either.  

 

“I don’t think that’s a concern, Ben.”  I rolled my eyes and turned to my dad without explaining.  I didn’t really want to have to express the issues I found with Ben’s projected concerns of me.  He really didn’t trust this dude after the other night, I suppose.  Not that I blamed him, but his reasoning seemed to forget this kid may have been responsible for the attack on Honey.  “I can do that.”  I told Anna.  I saw my mom glance at Charles out of the corner of her eye.  She still nodded her agreement.  Warren was next to voice that he could back me, adding that Honey would probably love to go along, too.

 

An all-female mission, the most successful kind.

 

My wolf was itching to go.  

 

“You letting Bran turn you into the new Charles?”  Warren rustled my hair as we headed upstairs.  “You two are scary when you’re near each other.”

 

“He helped raise me.”  I reminded.  We were for the most part out of ear shot of my parents, I knew they’d be upset if they heard me speak that way.  It was true to some respect, though.  Charles wasn’t a dad, more like that uncle your parents send you to because you’ve misbehaved too much and need to learn a lesson.

 

It was like those stupid horse movies where the spoiled city girl has to fall in horse shit four or five times before learning how to cope with life.

 

“Is that how you got shot last year?”  Ben snorted.  “Bran manipulated you into running into something you shouldn’t have?”

 

“He said I couldn’t go.”  But it was Bran, he had full knowledge I’d go anyways.  I just didn’t do a good job of proving myself.  “I came back from it, didn’t I?  I’m fine, my shoulder moves normally.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you olliewodge!!!!!


	10. Chapter 10

“Explain.”  A man of few words, Charles wasn’t focused on me.  Instead, he was typing.  We were downstairs as he did some work.  Anna and he were staying someplace else, having him and my dad under the same roof for an extended period of time would have been a nightmare.  

 

He waited expectantly.

 

“We had sex.  That was it.  There’s nothing that should have settled that there.”  I explained.  “It shouldn’t have happened.”

 

“Blood?”  A lot of pack magic moved around blood.  I wasn’t sure how mating worked, had never cared to focus when they ceremoniously happened.  It didn’t surprise me, though, that blood was involved.

 

“Not that I…” I stopped and he looked up at me.  I glanced down to the floor.  “That was a long time ago.”

 

“Do I ask or will you tell me?”  

“I don’t want to say.”  It had been a _long_ time ago.  Ben had come to see me in New York in September or October?  It would have had to have been around then.  I had been in a bad place, problems with eating on-and-off.  “It was a while back.”

 

I saw his gaze shift to where he knew I had scars.

 

The tattoos covered a small portion of them now.

 

“I don’t think there was consumption or consummation involved.”  I admitted.  “Just blood in general.”

 

He was quiet for a little bit and it left me to think.  Ben was older than me.  He had seen a lot more than I had.  Had he known the whole time what he was doing?  Was all of this intentional?

 

Charles stopped my thoughts, almost like he could hear them, too.  In all honesty, he’d probably scented my rising anger and wanted to squash it before it became too much.

 

“Can you find it?”

 

“Only when something happens, only briefly.”  I tried to focus on it for a moment.  “I don’t think it’s consistent.”

 

“Finicky.”  He agreed, back to his typing.

 

We sat in mostly silence for a long time.  Charles had a teaching style that combined a lot of different things.  His favourite technique was to leave me alone with my thoughts until I stubbornly proved to the both of us that I could do what he was saying.

 

“Your second is right,”  He acknowledged maybe thirty minutes later.  “Da had more plans for you than he did for your mother.  Use it to your advantage.”

 

“How?” 

 

He didn’t answer, just refocused on his work.  

 

“I’m becoming a doctor.”  I said.  He made a noise of agreement.  “He isn’t going to change my mind.”

 

“He doesn’t expect to.”

 

That was ominous and somehow it suited him all the better for it.  I let him work in silence again while I struggled to understand what piece of me wasn’t working right in this strange new connection I had encountered.  I tried to identify exactly where it was, but it still wasn’t something I was tracing right.  I could find Ben in general.  If I focused, I could _feel_ him, but it was just as much as I could feel anyone else—bare minimal existence.  I’d know if he died or if he was seriously hurt.  Both were useful, but not what I was trying to use.

 

“Let her show you.”  Charles said, almost to himself.  He didn’t look up.  I regarded him for a minute and closed my eyes, taking a deep breath.  “You bottle her up sometimes.”

 

I tried not to let my wolf play when I was home.  She put my dad on edge more often than not.  Coyotes and wolves don’t reproduce well.  My mother had gifted me with an immunity to most magic that made living in a pack difficult.  I could physically feel my father’s power when he drew on it, but unless I consciously submitted it just kind of rolled over like a rough wave in the ocean.  I had let my wolf play once almost immediately after coming back to the Tri-Cities from Aspen Creek and had very much upset my father.

 

I took a deep breath and let myself relax.  It wasn’t something I allowed often, but it felt good.

 

“You’re the most dangerous when you’re together.”  Cliche’d though it was, I let my eyes close.  “You’re in the most danger when you shut her in.”

 

I found it, or my wolf found it.  It wasn’t even remotely difficult.  It was instinct, something I’d not realized.  In stress and fear I had tried to cover it up and I had only made it more frustrating.  I knew he was amused, he had tuned into my wavelength the moment he’d realized what I had done.  I smiled, but bit my lip; excited, but still focused.  If I could find it, I could control it, right?

 

Not entirely right, I could still feel him pushing a little so it took some time to willingly close it.  When I did though, I felt myself for the first time in maybe twenty-four hours.  Really, I felt the most like me that I had since coming back to Washington.  Since leaving Aspen Creek I had dealt with two packs that had struggled with the way I worked.  My wolf was too dominant for a female, but she also gained benefit from the struggles with pack magic.  An alpha couldn’t force her to submit, which meant I had to force all of it.

 

I hadn’t realized what I was going until now.

 

My eyes flew open, grin still on my face.

 

“You’re a natural.”  Genuine sarcasm was not a language Charles often spoke, but I was almost positive it’s what he was speaking here.  I pulled my hair into a ponytail hurriedly.  “Stay like this.”  He called quietly after me because I was already running off.  “You’ll feel more content.”

 

I almost tripped into my mother when I reached the kitchen.

 

“Where are you going?”  She asked me, grabbing my shoulders to balance either me or both of us.  

 

“I need to go for a run, please.”  I knew it was a dumb idea.  Night had begun to fall and trouble was afoot.  I needed the stretch now that I realized exactly what was wrong.

 

“Charles helped?”  She looked me over.

 

“Definitely.  Please, can I go before dad gets back?”  He wasn’t really gone, but he was focused on work.  I wanted to be able to go and come back before he could stop me.  She didn’t say anything just glanced towards the rear door.  I smiled, but her eyes seemed to say “stay safe.” I hurried to the back. 

 

I was accepting of the fact I wouldn't be able to go far, not while witches were hunting. I'd have to survive for now, obviously. I trotted mostly around the yard, just letting myself stretch for a moment.  Honey was out there, guard duty but not specifically set to tail me.

 

People were shifting inside and I realized Charles and Anna were getting ready to leave.  I loped to the front of the house and let them hear my goodbye.  Anna waved back at me and made a motion as if she was locking her lips with a key.

 

So she wouldn’t tell my father what I was doing.

 

I stretched again and moved myself back to the rear of the house.  Being alone, even just a few yards away from the home, was a dumb idea with witches on the loose.  I wasn’t stupid, I didn’t try to cause trouble most of the time.

 

The guards were changing, which meant Ben would likely be out here soon.  Someone had already replaced Honey’s companion and I knew Ben was on duty.  I was rolling when he came out, Honey watching on with an amused expression on her face.  She turned to regard Ben for a moment when he nudged her to get up.  

 

She stretched and stood.  Honey was drop dead gorgeous as a wolf or as a human, it was jealousy invoking sometimes even without her brushing up on my mate—oh that would take some getting used to.

 

The real problem stemmed from the fact I knew they were friends and she wasn’t nearly as stupid as I was (meaning she wasn’t going to ever get involved with Ben of all people).  I was still reacting the way I was, though, and I had an issue with my reaction.  

 

I watched her nip his ear playfully and nod to me.  He shouldered her gently, moving her quickly towards the house.  Their exchange was playfully sarcastic, and I would just have to learn to deal.  

 

I tried to take what I had learned just by sitting with Charles for a little and put it into effect.  Ben was confused, probably more a reaction to why I was out here than to why I was still a little jealous.  I wished we could share deliberate words, but it hadn’t happened so far, because explaining was hard without them.

 

I let him see snippets of the conversation between me and Charles and I followed the way his mind traveled back to New York.  I had crashed, hit a low moment.  I hadn’t been abused, despite what my father thought of it.  I knew Ben found it irritating that I thought I wasn’t, but I wasn’t gong to address it.  I had felt convinced, sometimes still felt convinced, that I wasn’t worth very much.

 

Ben had found me indulging in the idea when he had come home from work one day.  Blood draws everyone’s wolf, and I think the combination of issues had led to a shorter fuse for him.  Seeing his lips on my skin, feeling it from both sides felt confusing and a little overwhelming.  

 

Is that what my blood tasted like?

 

It was comforting to know he thought the same thing when he heard Charle’s words.  I approached him slowly and touched my nose to his shoulder.  He was contemplating the other night, the party, the boy Marissa had re-introduced me to, what happened after.  His mind flashed back to New York again and I knitted what would-be eyebrows together before changing back.  It would be easier to communicate if at least one of us was using words.

 

“You know it’s not a concern, right?”  He was worried about birth control, I hadn’t even considered the fact we hadn’t used protection.  The only time it had ever come up was when Samuel had convinced me to take Plan B to be sure nothing happened.  I didn’t typically think about it.  “Ben…I’m…I can’t have kids.”

 

Wolves and coyotes crossed in the wild.  Some births were successful, though science claimed there was a large risk for still births.  Of those, besides the eastern coyote which was almost always a cross and had become well-adapted, many were sterile.  Crossing species had effects like that often, weird problems weren’t uncommon.

 

It was never determined if I didn’t get my period because of something weird about my changes, but considering the fact my mother’s changes were like mine it was more likely that I just wouldn’t have children.  

 

It hadn’t changed the sex drive, though.

 

I wasn’t sure why I expected him to know the fact, even Sam hadn’t.  My mother and Anna, to my knowledge, were the only one’s I had ever told.  

 

Ben seemed more relieved than anything, which surprised me.  I had always expected it to be somewhat of a problem.  It was something about the way the world worked, I always just expected there to be an issue with me not being able to have children of my own.  There was such an obsession with a woman’s right to choose and pregnancy planning that I had always felt a little…confused.

 

“You’re not upset?”  He snorted before nuzzling into my neck. I sighed and pat his head before pulling back.  I wanted to say ‘thank you’ but I wasn’t sure what I would be thanking him for.  I just stood up, instead.  “I’m going to go inside before my dad asks where I’ve been.  I just needed to stretch.  Mei hasn’t felt that good in a while.”

 

He nodded and moved over to let me enter the house again.  

 

It had only been maybe five minutes that I had been outside, and obviously my father was none the wiser because he wasn’t upset when I came inside.  I walked upstairs to my bedroom and plopped down on my bed, pulling my laptop towards me.  I had to keep up on my school work if I was going to graduate, and I actually cared about graduating.

 

There was a lab I would likely miss if I wasn’t allowed to go to classes this entire week.  _That_ would be a pain to make up afterwards.

 

“How was your stretch?”  I had heard my mom coming, but hadn’t looked up.

 

“It felt nice.”  I scribbled an equation into my notebook, closed my laptop, and looked up at her.  “I just feel so locked up, sometimes I forget.”

 

“Stress?”  She nodded to my bed and I moved over to let her sit down.  “Stress will do it.”

 

“It’s been an issue since I’ve come back,”  I admitted, “It didn’t go away when I went to New York.  How do you do it?”  She looked taken aback before she started laughing.  I frowned.

 

“He’s a control freak.”  She had kept up with my problem, at least.  She shook her head.  “I don’t do anything about it.  I have my own issues with control and he has his.  It tends to clash, but it’s worked long enough.  It’s not like we fight, Porsche.  We’re both very passionate and neither of us is willing to roll over for the other.  We _argue_ because sometimes things get heated, that happens when you care about what you’re discussing.”

 

“Yeah, but I can’t do that.”  I sighed.  “Dad and I fight.”

 

“You argue because you know what you want and he knows he wants to keep you safe.”  I wasn’t sure what she was getting at.  I still was the one responsible when dad got angry.  I didn’t know how to just be myself without constantly looking over my shoulder if he couldn’t stop standing there.  “You’re allowed to drive him a little crazy, you’re his daughter.  He tries to keep you down because he’s scared for you.  As hard as it is, don’t let him.”

 

I was never super close with my mom, even as a child.  She had always been the one on my side, but I had always been closer with my dad—despite our obvious differences.  I talked to her about some things, obviously if she knew about my not being able to have children.  

 

“Do you think…” I didn’t know how to finish.

 

“It was stupid, you know that.”  Like she knew I was bringing Ben into it.  “I don’t agree with it, either.  I’m not going to yell at you for it, but I hope you know that if you need help you can reach out for it.  Dad’s not going to cut you off and, even if he tried, I’m not going anywhere.”  

 

All I could do was nod.  I had a lot to think about a lot then.  I think she knew I was weighing my options of going back to Montana in the long run.  I was more comfortable there. 

 

I glanced back towards the door a few moments before Ben bumped his shoulder against it.  Mom rolled her eyes with a small smile.  We had both heard him coming before he made it to the room.

 

“That’s for you.”  I snorted and got up to let him in.  His tongue lolled out the side of his mouth so that he looked more like a misbehaving house pet than the big scary werewolf that he was.  He was a pretty werewolf, russet with bright eyes.  What’s worse was that he knew it.  As soon as he’d catch you staring he would quite happily stretch out and show off.

 

“No dogs on the—bed.”  I whined, I had just washed my sheets.  They didn’t need fur all over.  He grinned at me and laid his rump right on my mother’s lap.

 

“Hello.”  Was her only response to him.  “You’re a lot bigger than a pet…and much bigger than me.”

 

He was doing it on purpose, to be an annoying asshole.

 

“Already ready for bed?”  I asked him.  He moved off my mother and turned circles before plopping himself down again, this time in the center of my bed.  “Fine, but my mom said I shouldn’t sleep with wolves.  They might eat me.”

 

He snorted and glared at my mom who just laughed.


	11. Chapter 11

Guard duty changed at the first light of dawn, which meant I was woken up when someone came in to tell Ben he was done.  I felt a little bad for them all, knowing that changing took a lot more effort for them than for me and that they were probably over exhausting themselves.

 

I didn’t feel bad that the young wolf who walked into my bedroom had to deal with a very cranky me.

 

Ben had looked amused with the situation until he had completed his change.  Then, he too was cranky and tired and I could live with that if it meant I got a few more hours sleep—so long as he didn’t start looking at me like I was breakfast.

 

I had fallen back to sleep, curled up against his chest, until he ventured to wake me up again a few hours later.

 

I startled awake to the feeling of his lips at my neck.  One was most vulnerable when she slept, and certainly with a predator at her throat.  I hadn’t meant to be scared, fear made everything with werewolves more difficult, but it’s hard not to be a twinge nervous when there’s only two fine lips separating teeth from your jugular.  

 

I might be breakfast, and not in the kinky, sexual way.

 

He snorted, amused, and trailed kisses up to my ear before tugging on it.  It would have been cuter if we were wolves, as humans it just made me shiver.  I pressed a hand haltingly against his chest.  

 

My parents were downstairs.

 

“You’re an idiot, you know that?”  I hissed. “You don’t sneak up on a girl like that when she’s sleeping.”

 

“You overshare in your dreams.”  My face was heating up and I didn’t need to pull back and his tired grin to prove it to me.  His breath still tickled my ear and I was trying desperately not to cave, mostly because I was sure he was entirely joking.  “You don’t have to dream so much, you know?”

 

I don’t know what noise left my throat.  It was half-whine and half-annoyed groan meshed into one.  As expected, he was just being an asshole the whole time.  He pulled back and his eyes were practically dancing and the damnedest smirk played at his lips.  

 

“You just need reassurance that you’re wanted, that’s fine.”  I sat up and crossed my arms across my chest.  He still hadn’t mentioned anything of yesterday to me, I would have to figure it out for myself still.  I was just glad to know it wasn’t affecting him today.

 

I got a slightly irritated look in response, but only for a split second.

 

“I wasn’t going to misbehave while your parents are downstairs.”  It seemed to be his only response and I rolled my eyes after it was said and done.  He was being childish, if nothing else.  

 

I rolled my way up and out of bed, well aware of what I was and wasn’t wearing, to grab a towel.  I definitely needed a shower today, werewolves make uncomfortably warm space heaters and I had sweat through most of the night that Ben was plastered against me for.

 

“You don’t actually like sex?”  I had to assume the thought was his since it wasn’t mine, but the moment it left my mouth it felt like the room had been flooded with ice water.  Any part of him that had been present in my mind had entirely shut down, and it was like ripping off a bandaid.  I had only just found that piece, and it was knotted tighter now than a usual hose kink.  “Your _wolf_ wants sex, you don’t enjoy it at all?”

 

I half expected the next sentence from his mouth to be something obnoxious like “does anyone really like sex” with some fucked up reason as to why it’s not meant for enjoyment.  Instead, he was absolutely panic stricken and seemed to be in shock.

 

“Ben…” I wanted to tell him to just show me if he wasn’t going to say anything.  It was obvious he wasn’t going to do either.  “Do you need me to get you something?”

 

“I’m fine.”  He said it too fast but I wanted to believe him.  

 

I wanted to believe every single thing he told me.  I wanted it to be about my age and only about my age.  I wanted the bizarre and unnatural circumstances that we knew each other to be the cause of him getting anxious when I touched him first.  

 

I was so caught up in processing every little detail of everything that I hadn’t realized he’d been creeping back into my head until he was there.

 

“Overthinking.”  The voice that said it was aggravated, though, more than anything.

 

This wasn’t a Ben that I knew, but it was one I had heard about.  Someone so slightly more bitter, a little more aggressive or just abrasive.  It was the person that Warren still teased him about being now and then.  I had never seen it entirely on my own.

 

“Did he…Ben…I’m working off of very little.”

 

“I don’t remember.”  It was a real growl, something he was furious about.  Ben had only broken something once so long as I’d been friends with him and it was a table before he came to see me in New York.  

 

He was also blatantly lying.

 

“I liked sex with you.”  He muttered, looking away from me.  I wasn’t sure if his anger had more to do with his being hungry or with what we had just exchanged accidentally.  “That should be all that matters for your sake.”

 

“That doesn’t explain…” I blinked.  “Ben, the other night…was that your _father_?”  I couldn’t be sure, he hadn’t looked much like Ben.  Maybe he was a stepfather?  Maybe they just didn’t bear any resemblance naturally?  

 

“Don’t throw out guesses about something you know nothing of, this isn’t a game of bloody twenty fucking questions.”  I tried to do what he had done, close him out.  I didn’t want him to know that his grip was hurting me.  It was panic present in his physicality.  There wasn’t any trace of anger, in fact.  

 

He was scared.  He was scared of what I was piecing together and that was my first clue that I was right.

 

“Ben, breathe, please.”  I didn’t know how to stop the look in his eyes that made me want to cry.  “You had just meant it as a joke, I hadn’t meant to read into it.”  What I meant to imply was that his initial thought had been something he hadn’t really meant.  I wasn’t sure if my statement was true, I wasn’t sure if he had actually been contemplating and reflecting inwardly.  “Ben…please don’t change.”

 

He had let go of me and was visibly trying to keep control of himself.  I’d venture a guess that my wrist wasn’t broken were he had grabbed it and allowed myself to step back just enough to give him space if he needed to change.  I tried to use any connection to him to my advantage, but his end was blurry.  It was him closing it and his wolf opening it until I wasn’t sure what I was seeing or feeling anymore.

 

I had never felt a change before.

 

“Don’t.”  He gritted out.  “Just tune me out.”

 

“Ben, I need you to be talking.”  He had just come back from a change a few hours ago.  He didn’t need to go through it again, it would be slower this time I knew.  He hadn’t eaten between.  “Ben, you’re going to be stuck like this for a while if you go wolf on me.”

 

“Porsche, I’m trying.”  He rolled his neck as if in an attempt to crack joints back to human.  I winced and felt him close himself again.

 

“Talk to me.  Walk me through this.”  I pleaded.  He was half-standing next to the bed in only sweatpants.  The fact that he still had clothes on meant he likely thought he could keep this off.  

 

“Yes, ok?”  Yes to my previous question, I’d assumed.  His voice wasn’t right and I pretended not to notice.  I couldn’t slow to an in-between to my knowledge and my voice had never sounded like that.  
  
I couldn’t slow to an in-between…

 

“Can you pull from me?”  I asked him suddenly.  “I know Anna and Charles can’t…I don’t know that mom and dad ever tried but mom isn’t a wolf.”

 

“I don’t know _how_.”  He was losing desperately if he was in so much pain.  It was going to take longer than half an hour, too.  We were only five minutes in.

 

I didn’t know how to try it either.  Maybe I had to do it, had to be the one who pushed something of me at him to draw from. I didn't understand any of it.  I was actually becoming convinced that there wasn't anything to understand, just rules made up along the way. 

 

"I trust you."  He gasped out and our eyes met for a moment again. 

 

"Then tell me what's wrong" I pleaded. "Let me help you."

 

Beads of sweat had broken out across his forehead as he grabbed at strings of control. I found myself busy trying to find a way to use whatever connection we had to ease him into one form or another. 

 

“Should I call my mom?”  I wanted to reach out, but I knew it’d hurt him.  His growl told me he wanted to do this on his own.  I heard bone snap and I hissed.  He was losing this battle and that was more dangerous than I liked to admit.  The fact that something could put him this on edge, and I didn’t _know_ what it was.  Though, I had my sickening gut feelings.

 

“I trust you.”  He repeated, more solemnly, but still not entirely focused on conversation.  Wolves are simple, sentences are bullet points for them.  There were more than just beads of sweat on his face, he was crying.  “Please…”

 

Maybe I had doubted too much, he was more human than he had been a moment ago.  Ben was also evidently exhausted and probably would eat me for real if I didn’t find him something more substantial soon.

 

“That man can’t hurt you, not anymore.”  I promised him.  It was stupid to slide off the bed and kneel so close to him, but I did it anyways.  “Ben, we can keep you safe.  You never have to face that again.”  

 

There were flashes and they were cliched and blinding.  Just snippets of memories that had been drudged up from a murky and hidden past.  His heart was racing, I could hear it because I couldn’t hear anything else.  A woman’s voice, terror, discomfort, anxiousness, a childish need to please—nothing made sense to me at least, not in the linear sense.  Like a ghost of a memory, like when I had known just how to sign into Ben’s email, there were ghosts of touch.  I didn’t like the feeling that washed over me, it had a resemblance to New York, when Bo would kiss the corner of my eye after he would wake me up to have sex.  

 

It wasn’t the same though, this feeling was somehow so much worse.

 

_She must know._

 

Completely unaware of who that was referencing, I felt something fall into me.  It took me a solid few minutes to essentially wake from the memories, feelings, _guilt_ , I had been deluged with.  

 

Ben had at some point let his body give out under him.  He was entirely human, shivering but still in sweats as he had been.  I maneuvered into a sitting position to let his top half better lay against me.  He was more pale than usual and I wondered idly if he was going to throw up.

 

“Fine.”  He whispered.  The position couldn’t have been comfortable in the slightest, the size difference didn’t make me holding any bit of him easy.  His face had turned to press against my stomach.  “I’m fine.”

 

I didn’t say anything because I didn’t know what to say.

 

“It happens, sometimes.”  He took a deep breath.  

 

I knew by now that Ben’s distress had to have been felt by everyone in the pack.  I was surprised no one had come up, anyone downstairs had more than felt it because they had heard it.  I let my fingers brush through his hair gently as he settled, unsure of myself.

 

“I had just…I wasn’t going to…” Steadying didn’t mean stable or well-spoken.  “Your parents are downstairs.  Then I just overanalyzed internally.  I hadn’t…you weren’t supposed to hear.”

 

Speechless isn’t a word in my vocabulary, but I had absolutely nothing.  I was nervous to even be fidgeting worriedly with his hair.  I was scared he was going to snap at me for touching him.  

 

“The reason you were upset,”  I paused, letting his try and settle his breathing a little further.  “It was because you were worried you were taking advantage of me the same way Bohdan did, the same way…”

 

“Now you know.”  He mumbled.  “Congrats.  Not many do, I’d rather you help keep up my charade.”

 

I wanted him to look at me, but he wouldn’t.  He kept his face right where it was, like he was hiding in me.  His wolf was still very close and while I expected he wouldn’t hurt me, I didn’t want to find out the hard way.  

 

“My hair probably smells better than my skin, if that’s what you’re going for.”  I said gently.  His hand grabbed my wrist and squeezed gently.  He was amused at the very least, even if it was ever so slight.  “You’re safe.”  I let him shift upwards so that he was sitting on his own.  He was trembling a little still, but unlikely to complete a change.

 

“I’ve got little miss sunshine to protect me.”  And right now, his sarcasm was all I wanted to hear.

 

I led him back into the bed and let him hold me as if I was the one hurting, like we were back in New York again and I was feeling sick.  I guess in some twisted ways I was the one hurt, but it was nothing on what he must have felt.  I had only lived his nightmare in a few short moments, he had lived through it all on his own.

 

I let him fall back to sleep, listened to him whine but effectively keep me from walking in his dreams.  

 

Maybe thirty minutes later I was able to maneuver my way out of the bed and sneak down into the kitchen.  My mother was cleaning, probably after any wolves still taking advantage of the safe house had torn their ways through lunch.

 

“Coffee.”  I had heard my dad approach and my mother’s glance behind me didn’t hurt either.  I turned my head and he gestured to the pot on the counter.  I nodded and made my way to it, not missing the look mom gave him.  I was trying not to completely unravel, but besides having better-than-human noses and a better developed understanding of body language, they were also my parents.  They knew I was upset.

 

A noise escaped my lips when dad’s hand touched my shoulder.  I muffled the sound by raising the mug in my hands to my lips but he turned me around.  I let the mug rest on the counter so nothing would get on his shirt.  

 

“You knew,”  It sounded so childish and I felt pathetic whimpering over something I didn’t even live through.  

 

He didn’t say “I told you so.”  My mom’s hand was on the back of my hair.  

 

“I knew enough.”  Dad said softly.  “I’m sorry.”

 

“I could have hurt him more.”  I had cared so much about making sure his shirt didn’t get coffee on it, but it was about to be wet with tears.  At least, I thought, water doesn’t need stain remover.  “He was just—he was a child—he had no way—” I couldn’t help but share Ben’s feeling about his mother.  A mother should protect her children.  

 

“We know.”  Mom soothed gently, hand still stroking my head.

 

“And he was _there_.”  I whispered.  “Dad…he watched…but he _killed_ the man who did it.”

 

Mom’s hand froze, but my dad’s body did the opposite.  He relaxed a little if anything.

 

“I know, Porsche.”  He admitted.  “It’s the first part that scares me.”

 

“He’s sleeping,”  I pulled back and wiped my eyes a little.  “He almost changed again.  I need to get him something to eat before he wakes up.”  

 

Dad watched me carefully for a moment before nodding once.

 

“Drink your coffee if you want and then bring someone with you.”  I looked at my mom as he said it, moved to pull the mug back to me and take a few more sips.  I dumped the rest in the sink, anxious to get a move on.  A newer wolf, someone we had taken in while I was in Aspen Creek, was put in charge of me.  It was nice, like a gesture that my dad was going to trust me to take the lead on this one.

 

Angel Del Toro was Changed when I was thirteen and sent to my father through Montana, the only reason I had some personal knowledge of who he was outside of hunts.  He didn’t spend much time around the house except now that we were all hands on deck.  Angel wasn’t very high up in the rankings, actually fairly close to the bottom, but a sweetheart.  The reason he was here was mostly related to the fact he wasn’t much older than me.  He was only sixteen when he was changed and he needed some help adjusting.  

 

“You need anything to eat?”  I don’t know why I bothered asking a twenty-two year old werewolf if he’d be down for free food, but he was sitting int he passenger’s seat and it just became instinct.  

 

That was the last thing I remembered.


	12. Chapter 12

Ben’s hair was askew when he startled awake.  His first thought was that he had woken from another nightmare.  Since sleeping with Porsche, he hadn’t been sleeping well. Some of it was guilt, he knew.  He was scared he was abusing her trust by giving into his lust and feelings for her.

 

That wasn’t it, though.  He was positive he hadn’t woken from a nightmare.  His nightmares usually left him shaken, ringing in his ears.

 

This wasn’t like that.

 

By the time realization dawned on him, he had already landed himself at the front door facing an equally startled alpha.

 

“Boss,”  His voice wavered.  After everything that had happened in the last few days, in that singular moment this morning especially, he was slipping a little.  “She didn’t go out did she?”

 

His eyes were on the ground, he knew if he was right then his alpha was likely to already be more on edge than even Ben was.  

 

“Charles and Anna are closer to where she was headed.”  The veteran was keeping something from him and he didn’t want to know what.  “Angel is with her.”

 

“He’s barely older than her.”  Ben had stated the obvious and he was lucky that he hadn’t had his neck snapped for it he expected.  He realized in that moment that Adam had been trying to help the arguments that had recently broken out in the home between the alpha and his daughter.  

 

“I’m not waiting until you’re ready.”  Adam’s facade broke and he snarled.  Ben rushed out the door after him.  “Mercy was on her way to the store shortly after Porsche left.  She took her own car, we’ll find her.”

 

It was something Ben would have to trust because in that moment he felt a sheer, crippling panic.

 

Normally, he would trust Adam or Mercy to help him, a thought that crossed his mind as they raced to meet the alpha’s wife, but given this was their daughter it would be difficult to turn to them.  He had Warren, certainly, maybe a little of Honey even.  He just needed someone who could help him.  

 

They had found Porsche’s car, well-hidden but trackable.  The people who had been in it though, there was no trace of.  Witched cleaned up after themselves, policed brass.  There was no blood or scent trail to follow to where either passengers had been taken.

 

The wolves had needed to regroup, to identify the one boy that Ben had recognized from the first scene—the one Porsche and Anna hadn’t been given the chance to meet with.  This crime scene had occurred much sooner than anticipated and was much cleaner than expected.

 

It was two in the morning before Ben, restlessly working on and off with Adam _and_ the assassin to discover where she was, felt anything of her.  He was sure it was an accident on her part, but he was glad she did it.  The witches didn’t want her, they wanted Angel.  They wanted a traditional werewolf for their science fair.  

 

Yet, she had managed to volunteer herself as tribute.  She had manipulated her situation, made herself more valuable for what they wanted.  He didn’t think they recognized her or, if they did, they didn't care about what sort of problems they were calling for.

 

She was the werewolf king’s granddaughter, these witches were in for a nightmare.

 

“Ben?”  It had been Mercy’s voice that called him, but Adam who’s hand gripped his shoulder.  They had all felt her anguish in the pack bonds, she couldn’t hide it well.    
  
“I don’t know what they’re doing to her.”  He whispered, eyes closed, trying to reach out to her again.  “I know what she said to them.  She told them to use her instead.  She didn’t want them to hurt Angel.”

 

She took after her parents to an unforgivable degree.  She was about to get herself killed.  

 

Earlier the day before he had blamed his slipping control on not having eaten after three changes in a relatively short period of time.  At six in the morning, when he had finally been asleep for two hours straight, he had nothing to blame but himself and _maybe_ lack of sleep.

 

“We would feel her if she was dead?”  It was Mercy who he met when he rushed to the kitchen to find someone.  “We would feel both of them?”

 

He reassured the worried mother as her mate made a phone call.  Ben knew she was alive, he knew she was just hovering on the edge of his mind like a storm in the distance.  What he couldn’t confirm was whether or not her ties to the pack had been cut by those who had her or by she herself purposefully.

 

Bran had already been notified of his missing granddaughter, naturally, and even if he hadn’t he would have found out.  The news to him was when Adam confirmed she was alive via Ben.

 

“They’re mated?”  The Marrok asked thoughtfully, deliberately delivering every word.  “Officially?  I wouldn’t have thought you would let that happen, Adam.”

 

“None of us are really sure what happened, Bran.”  Mercy admitted, nervously fidgeting.  “It’s not the main concern.  We don’t know how to find her.  You, your sons and their mates, and Asil have had the most experiences with witches of anyone I have ever personally known.  I need to know how to find them.”  

 

Anna and Charles were both already looking into the boy now, they had rushed there as soon as Mercy had texted Anna that Porsche was missing from the bonds.  It had taken them longer than necessary, in Ben’s mind, to dig through her cellphone (left in the car) to find his name as provided by her friend Marissa.  

 

“The Omega was up at the ass-crack of dawn to find the kid that may have had a hand in taking her.”  Ben paid little attention to Mercy’s steadying hand on his shoulder.  It was hard to find comfort in someone who was just as worried as he was.

 

“A wolf of Angus’ is missing, too.”  Bran ignored him.  “Since last night.  They must be a larger group than expected or else they’re based in a middle-ground and not directly within your territory.”

 

That made more sense than a makeshift coven operating inside pack borders, but it was also something they had already considered.  That was Ben’s concern, that they had already looked everywhere they could think of.  They had found no trace of witches anywhere.

 

“She’s deaf, so they suspect that had something to do with it.  Their witch is in on the hunt now.”  

 

Everyone in the room knew about Emerald City’s witch.  She was the second’s mate and possibly the only reason that he stayed there, content with second instead of taking his own pack as many eventually did.  

 

They also knew that Angus’  mate was the only female wolf in the pack and she was deaf.  It was beyond stupid to kidnap an alpha’s mate.

 

The next phone call was to Emerald City, there was no way around it.  Angus’ second denied that their alpha’s mate’s connection to her pack had been broken, making it likely that he was either lying to protect his alpha or that Porsche had severed ties herself.  Ben had the sinking feeling, which he shared, that it was the latter.  The young woman was the type protect, even if it meant cutting ties with her pack to keep them from feeling her pain.  

 

“You can still feel her?”  Adam didn’t ask kindly, it was more of a demand for a brisk answer.  Ben nodded hastily and the three of them were out the door.  Warren was just arriving as they began their hurried leave.

 

He wasn't as experienced as others, had no idea how a bond worked even after some work with Adam. Ben felt more than a little useless because of his inability to find Porsche or even understand relatively where she could be.  Encouraging thoughts had led the others to believe maybe Angus could find them, but no one had heard word since the phone call.  It was now nearly eight and Charles and Anna had only just tracked down the possible culprit’s home.

 

“It could be an ambush.  They know he knows her.”  Warren pointed out softly.  

 

“Or he didn’t tell anyone he had met her.”  Mercy offered.  “Because no one cared to ask.”

 

“Tampico.”  The room turned to look at the tall, blonde man.  His accent had come back entirely, full force the moment he’d found out Porsche was missing. 

 

“It’s…not a GPS.”  Honey’s words were slow, like she was talking to a caged and scared animal.

 

“I know it’s not a fucking GPS.”  Ben growled at her sharply.  “She knows where she is now.  She’s outside, she doesn’t know how to get back.”

 

“Tampico is almost two hours from here.”  

 

“Can Angus’ wolves reach her faster?”  Honey looked to Adam. He shook his head.  

 

“That’s maybe three or four for them.”

 

None of them had noticed they were already on their ways, separate cars. 

 


	13. Chapter 13

I didn’t know how I had gotten into the mess, but I knew how to get out.  I was good at getting myself out of unsavory places.

 

Though, I could admit, I usually had help.

 

They had taken another, right after Angel and I.  She was wolf when she came in, small and all white with blue eyes and a few grey spots.  She wasn’t one I recognized visually and certainly not a scent I recognized though she carried one I knew but couldn’t place.

 

“What do you want from us?”  Angel was visibly injured beside me in a silver cage that wasn’t meant to hold two werewolves of any size.  We were cramped beyond compare.  I knew a few hours had gone by though there was no clock.  I didn’t remember my trip here so someone either wiped my memory or had be under for the whole ride.

 

It took more than one witch to keep two werewolves asleep for a whole car ride.

 

No one was answering.  Of our captors, I knew none.  There were two men in the room with us and a woman.  None of them spoke as they opened our cage and yanked Angel out.

 

“Stop!”  I grabbed his arm.  “Stop, please, whatever you’re going to do.  Please let him go.”  My mouth was dry, Angel wasn’t happy with me but I was much higher in the pack than he was.  He had no right to complain anyways, I was trying to save him.

 

I hadn’t expected them to cave so soon.  They just shoved Angel over and yanked on me.  I followed the man as his accomplice locked the cage again behind us.  I was in cuffs, something I didn’t appreciate anymore than anyone can imagine.  I tried to let that slip through to Ben, to let him know I was ok.  

  
It was then that I heard a door above us close.  She was human entirely, the girl they brought down.  I looked her over, a sickening churning in my stomach.  If I didn’t physically turn green I would be surprised.  

 

“I’m not going to change her.”  I said simply.  One of the men who had pulled me out of my captivity laughed.  “Is that what you want?”

 

The echo of silence was perturbing and frustrating.

 

“I’m not going to—“  I suddenly couldn’t breathe.  Someone was constricting my air passages but, as is the way with anything that goes bump in the night, there wasn’t any noticeable reason.  

  
I could withstand certain magic.  I could see the chain choking me in this instant, but I couldn’t do anything for it.  If I was able to, it would likely be more successful in my other form.  

 

I didn't need to assume I had passed out because Angel had let me know.  Witches were occasionally like vampires, sadistic and they played with their food.  The girl they had brought down was still there, front and center.  No one had touched her.  The small white wolf in the cage beside us was either also out cold or asleep by the looks of her.

 

I didn’t want to kill anyone, especially not a human who didn’t ask for any of this.  That they expected me to attempt the Change on her…I wasn’t even sure if I had the ability.  Most wolves were concerned that, once they started on someone like that, they couldn’t stop.  I’m more concerned with whether or not I can actually change someone at all.

 

“They didn’t try me, they want you do to it now.”  Angel whispered.  I nodded. “They’re going to want you to change, how will you explain yours?”

 

That was a problem I hadn’t thought about.  

 

“Oh…” I bit my lip.  Ben had either consciously or subconsciously been pooling at the edges of my mind.  I would have to keep better note of how close he was allowed, especially if something happened. I allowed him to understand the details he needed, but memories are fickle.  You can change them.

 

He didn’t need to know they’d almost killed me.

 

“Angel, I’m going to try something very, _very_ stupid.”  I muttered, but it would have to wait until we had a moment free with no one looking.  As it were, one witch was left downstairs with us.  She seemed a little too trigger happy for my liking and I didn’t want to encourage her with the sight of blood.

 

“What do you need from me?”

 

“Some faith.”

 

If he was nervous, he did very well in hiding it.  He simply nodded and we waited quietly together for either the girl to leave entirely or for her to lose focus on us.  The room was large enough that, if we were quiet and she was far enough away, ideally she couldn't hear us.

 

I wish we had a clock because we were sitting and waiting a long while.  I wasn’t tired, but Angel had fallen asleep.

 

Conveniently, the girl they had put in charge was asleep, too.

 

“Angel,”  I shook him awake gently and quietly.  “Listen to me, I’m about to do a very dumb thing.”  And hopefully it would keep my parents from hurting too much if the worst happened.  I had him half awake and wide-eyed, I took a steadying breath.  I could never do this as regularly as a real alpha did, this made me feel really uncomfortable.  “Mine to me and mine, pack—I swear to god, do not bite off my whole fucking forearm.”

 

I wasn’t sure if this would work the way I needed it to, but I’d try anything once if it helped people to heal.  He looked amused, but I could sense the nerves this time when he realized what I was trying to do.

 

“Yours to you, mine to me.”

 

If I got out of here, Bran and my father would have my head on a stick.  

 

It worked how I expected, though.  It formally broke all ties but at least gave Angel me to keep him company.  It was kind of like sugar in water, but in my head.  He looked at me, surprised.

 

“I didn’t think it’d work either.”  I agreed.

 

“I’m not supposed to have to bite you.”  He snorted.

 

“I’m not about to do it myself.”  I inspected my arm.  “Not too bad, it’ll stop bleeding one day.”

 

“Your parents—“

 

“I just needed to make sure they’d be alright.  I didn’t want them to feel…” I trailed off. The guard was changing or otherwise someone was coming.  Angel and I exchanged a short glance before pretending to sleep.

 

Eventually, I did just drift off into sleep. 

 

By the time I woke up, though I realized a little later that it was maybe half an hour after I had drifted,  the strange wolf beside us had changed.  My stomach sank a little.  I didn’t doubt her ability as a wolf nor as an Omega, but I recognized her now.  A deaf wolf was going to be of little to no use to me.

 

Except, it made it twice as likely that we were still in Washington.  

 

It also meant she might have just been a crime of opportunity.  She’s deaf and operating with an understanding that these witches can hide what they are from your nose—still assuming Nate is involved—then we can guarantee the Emerald City Pack’s Omega was simply an easy target.

 

I like to operate in a world where no one is stupid enough to take an alpha’s mate from under his nose without an actual reason.

  
So, she was a necessity.

 

They didn’t approach her to change the human sleeping fitfully across the room, but she was a wolf when they demanded Angel or I do it.  

 

Which meant she was here for something else, and probably to do with being an Omega.

 

There was only one male standing guard in the room we were in, I had taken the liberty to guess we were in a basement or cellar of some sort by now. It took maybe ten or fifteen minutes more before two more joined him to reengage in their experiments from last time.

 

This time, as they approached, I had to think fast.  One of them had woken up the human girl and two were headed towards where I was.  The girl was screaming already, enough of a distraction.  They must have kept her quiet somehow yesterday.  The key turned in the lock and as soon as arms grabbed me, I changed and prayed Angel could hold his own for a little.  

 

I couldn’t think, just run.  If the girl’s screaming hadn’t woken anyone else up by now, the woman and two men shouting after me as they gave chase would.  

 

Knowing nothing of magic also wasn’t helpful.  I wasn’t sure if they could stop me if they tried.  I was just hoping I could keep going.  It was about finding a way out now.  I’d already made it to the main level.  I had found the front door.  No one seemed to be on the other side of it and it didn’t appear in any way that someone was on the ground level with me.

 

These were things I didn’t even have a minute to contemplate, the footsteps were too close behind me.  

 

I have never been so thankful for my changes because it meant I could try and use thumbs before having to be ready to run again.  All I needed was to find out where I was.  If I could find out, then I could get help.  I didn't need to stay free forever on this one.

 

I couldn’t find a main road, so we were in fairly rural territory.  I followed my gut (but mostly my ears) towards the sound of cars while trying to stay out of people’s ways.  I didn’t want to risk being seen.

 

Tampico, shit, no one fucking lives in Tampico.  I wasn’t sure how far it was from home, but it wasn’t close.  Closest place I knew was straight up Yakima and I wasn’t sure what direction that would be in.  

 

I knew Ben had realized what had happened the moment I had hit the dumb little sign that told me where I was.  I needed to find something better than that, though.  We weren’t far from the town’s limits, that much was certain.  I hadn’t run far enough.  

 

I had done what I needed to do.

 

I should just go back, help Angel.

 

My plan didn’t need to be complex.  The people who had kidnapped us, we already knew they weren’t smart.  The people I had seen were mine and Angel’s own age, nothing crazy.  For everything I’ve done in my own life, I don’t think I could successfully pull this off.

 

They had tried to grab Honey and failed.  Why had they needed her?  Honey was one wolf and she wasn’t an Omega.

 

Maybe they had used those as opportunities.  Maybe they only needed one wolf.  They wanted us to change a human, the Omega could just be there to help the new wolves.  That would make perfect sense, why everyone had panicked when I had made the joke that maybe they’re just trying to make their own wolves. 

  
Maybe they are.

 

They only had one human though.  She was younger than I was, certainly.  

 

I wondered idly if they were coming after me at all, slinking delicately through what coverage I could use to hide.  I was going to slowly make my way back to the house, try to navigate through well enough to keep track of how to get where I was going.  It would only take the others more time if they had to find their way to us via scent, possibly make it impossible if the witches came and wiped the area numbingly clean.

 

I recognized Nate sleuthing but had taken coverage under a small barn-looking structure.  For such an underwhelming population (though I recognized Tampico was probably just one of those very physically small towns that we had scattered about) the houses were nice.  I watched him, wishing I was more inconspicuous like mom.  A coyote can get away with much more around these parts than something my shape and colour.

 

His car had pulled up along the road, so he likely hadn’t been in the house.  I certainly hadn’t noted his scent there with the others.

 

It looked like I was going to be stuck here for longer than expected as I left him finish his rounds.  I pressed closer to the ground and watched him.  I don’t think he was even necessarily looking for _me_ because it looked like he was waiting.  He stayed mostly near the road, wandering around where it broke from civilization again to fall into woodland.  It was nowhere near where I was.  

 

I tried to make out an exact street sign to place us somewhere.  If the witches didn’t catch me on the way back to their little lair, then my family could come here to pick up my scent.  

 

I didn’t know anything more than Tampico, though, and that had been luck.  I had run past a church on my way out with Tampico Community Church scrawled on it’s little notice board.

 

What I really needed was a GPS or a phone so I could get an exact location. 

 

I needed a street name, they could find me from there, they all had a GPS or a phone hopefully.

I stayed in my hiding place but tried to silently wiggle to the right, closer to the end of the street with the sign.  It was only a matter of making it out.  

 

It wasn’t much help.  I still couldn’t confirm if Athanum Road, or that’s what it seemed the sign said, was even in Tampico.  I had no idea where I was anymore.  Maybe the Church would have to do as a location.


End file.
